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THE NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

DEVELOPED ACCORDING TO THE PROBLEM METHOD 



CALIFORNIA 



i 



BY 



HAROLD W. FAIRBANKS, Ph. D. 



1920 

HARR WAGNER PUBLISHING CO. 

SAN FRANCISCO 

CALIFORNIA 



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Among the Giant Redwoods of the Coast Ranges 



THE NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

DEVELOPED ACCORDING TO THE PROBLEM METHOD 



CALIFORNIA 



BY 



HAROLD W. FAIRBANKS, Ph.D. 

Author of 

Stories of Mother Earth, Home Geography, 

The Western United States, Practical Physiography, 

A Reader in Conservation, Geography of California, 

Etc. 




1920 

HARR WAGNER PUBLISHING CO. 

SAN FRANCISCO 

CALIFORNIA 






G^ 



Copyright 

1920 

H. W. Fairbanks 



r,!.A570ll5 



LC Control Number 



tmp96 026024 



m 24 i920 



PREFACE 



The new series of Elementary School Geographies of which 
this volume forms a part has been worked out along lines entirely 
different from any other American text. 

The two-time-over plan has been abandoned for a progressive 
course in which each country is studied but once. The descriptive 
method in which the memory plays the chief role has been replaced 
by one in which reason and thought, based on experience, are the 
moving forces. 

The aim of this, the second book in the New Series, is two- 
fold: first, is to give the child such a conception of his own state 
as will be of some real use to him in daily life; and second, to 
afford a foundation for an intelligent study of the world at large. 
When the child understands how people about him are influenced 
by their environment he has acquired the ability, with the aid of 
a good physical map, to form conclusions as to how people in dis- 
tant lands are affected by their environments. This view leads us 
to look upon facts not as the aim but rather the tools by the aid 
of which true geographic understanding is reached. 

To accomplish this aim, a readjustment of emphasis is neces- 
sary. Instead of giving a few weeks here and there in the course 
to the home, state or natural region in which the child lives, and 
thus making the home region incidental to world geography, the 
method employed in the present series assumes that an understand- 
ing of the home is the indispensable prerequisite to a real know- 
ledge of the world. 

Working the above out by means of the problem method, the 
study appears to the child to take on a definite purpose. It be- 
comes intensely interesting and leaves a permanent impression. 

From the point of view outlined, no apology need be offered 
for putting within reach of the children of California this book, 
which is intended as a basis for a year's study. Such a study nat- 
urally falls in the fifth year and before formal world geography is 
commenced. 

H. W. FAIRBANKS. 

Berkeley. Cal., April, 1920. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Preface ._ :.. 3 

Chapter 1 _ 7 

Topic I. A Land of Gold— 7 

Topic II. California, a Land of Fruitful Gardens 8 

Topic III. California as the Home of the Indian.... 13 

Topic IV. California as the Home of the Spaniard 14 

Summary .'. 18 

Review Questions _ : 19 

Practical Lessons _ '. 19 

Chapter II 21 

Topic I. The Main Routes by Which the Pioneers Reached 

California 21 

Topic II. The California Coast Presented Many Difficul- 
ties to the Early Explorers 23 

Summary _ 38 

Review Questions --- 38 

Practical Lessons .-- 39 

Chapter III ...: 41 

Topic I. The Natural Resources of Our California Garden 41 
Topic II. The Natural Resources of Our California Gar- 
den Are Very Rich, But They Will Not Last Unless 

We Take Care of Them 48 

Topic HI. How the Growth of California Has Been Af- 
fected by the Character of Its Surface, Its Streams, 

and Its Climate 55 

Topic IV. California Has Such Wonderful Scenery that 

People Come from All Parts of Our Country to See It.. 64 

Topic V. Some Thoughts on the Study of California 69 

Summary 73 

Review Questions 73 

Practical Lessons 7? 

Chapter IV // 

The Great Valley: The Granary and Future Garden of 

California .-. ....... 77 

Summary -.- -- 91 

Review Questions ..— 92 

Practical Lessons — - - --. 92 



rage 

Chapter V - - -- 95 

The Coast Ranges : A Region of Mountains and Innumer- 
able Park-Like Valleys Whose Fertile Soil and Agree- 
able Climate Make This An Attractive Land 95 

The Northern Coast Ranges - 98 

The Clear Lake District 104 

The Southern Coast Ranges 106 

The San Francisco Bay and Region About Ilv3 

Summary -.- .- 13-1 

• Review Fxcrcises .-- 136 

Practical Lessons ... ...- -. 1 37 

Chapter VI ...- -- - 139 

The Sierra Nevada Mountains 13'' 

Summary -- 156 

Review Exercises 156 

Practical Lessons -.. .- 1 S7 

Chapter VII .- 159 

Southern California 1 59 

Summary 205 

Review Exercises 206 

Practical Lessons 207 

Chapter VIII 209 

The Great Basin 209 

Summary 217 

Review Exercises ...-. 218 

Practical Lessons 219 

Chapter IX :...... 221 

The Klamath Mountains 221 

Summary 227 

Review Exercises 227 

Practical Lessons 228 

Chapter X : 229 

The Volcanic Plateau 229 

Summary 235 

Review Exercises 236 

Practical Lessons 236 

Index 237 



CHAPTER I. 
Topic I. — A Land of Gold. 

A Land of Fabulous Riches to Reach Which the "Gold Seekers" or 
"Argonauts" Suffered Untold Dangers and Hardships. 

How were the Pioneers of California like the Argonauts of 
the Old Legend? 

According to the ancient Greek story, Jason and his comrades 
set sail on an expedition to a distant region in search of the Golden 
Fleece. These adventurers are known as Argonauts. So it came 
about that the Pioneers who started out from the Eastern States 
to find the hidden gold in far away California were called "Argo- 
nauts." 

Was there much known about California at the time of the 
discovery of gold in 1848? 

Although explorers had described California as an attractive 
land blest with perpetual spring, it had at the time of the discovery 
of gold few inhabitants besides Indians and easy-going Spaniards. 

Southern California and the valleys of the Coast Ranges had 
been occupied for many years by the Missions and scattered Spanish 
ranches. Daring American explorers had crossed the mountains and 
deserts to the Great Valley. Captain Sutter had built a fort near 
the junction of the American river with the Sacramento and had 
commenced to raise stock and cultivate the land. 

General Fremont, known as the "Path Finder," had explored 
much of the interior and had nearly lost his life in crossing the Sierra 
Nevada Mountains in midwinter. 

How did the discovery of gold affect the story of California? 

1. The land filled quickly with thousands of people: The Mexi- 
can War had just ended and California had become a part of our 
country when Marshall made his great discovery of gold in a mill 
race in El Dorado county. 

The news spread quickly and in a few months thousands of peo- 
ple were on their way to the land where the stream gravels were 
reported to be full of gold which was to be had merely for the 
digging. 

In less than a year San Francisco Bay had filled with ships from 
all parts of the world and an almost continuous line of ox-wagons 
filled with gold seekers marked the newly opened road across the 
continent. 

Soon prospectors spread through the foothills of the Sierra 
N^evada and Klamath Alountains. Their camps were scattered all 
along the streams, while little towns sprang up where the "bars" 
were richest in gold. Thus life and bustle suddenly replaced the 
quiet which had ruled in California for so long. 



8 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

2. If it had not been for the golden magnet, California would 
have settled slowly, as did Oregon and Washington: Before the 

discovery of gold, Marcus Whitman had led the way to the rich 
farming lands of Eastern Oregon, but because this region was so 
far removed from the Eastern settlements, and the dangers of the 
journey to the Far West were so great, the country settled slowly. 
It was very different in the case of California. The tales of gold 
aroused a great excitement over the whole country The journe\ 
to this region, although more difficult than the one to Oregon, did 
not, nevertheless, prevent thousands from attempting it, and so the 
population increased rapidly. 

3. The growth of other industries: For a time mining was the 
only thing thought of. Ships were deserted by their crews; clerks 
left their stores and farmers abandoned their fields. But there were 
many who did not "strike it rich" and soon returned to their pre- 
vious occupations. 

Stock raising had been the leading industry of this region from 
the earliest days of the Spanish settlement, but hides, wool and tal- 
low were the only products for which there was any sale. With 
the coming" of thousands of emigrants there arose a great demand 
for meat. The growing of grain, fruit and vegetables also became 
important, for all farm products brought fabulous prices. 

The great distance of California from any point where manu- 
factured products could be obtained soon led to the establishment 
of many industries to supply the needs of the growing population. 

Topic II. — California, a Land of Fruitful Gardens. 

A Pleasant Land of Mountains and Valleys in Which is Found 

Every Sort of Climate and Where Grows Almost 

Everything That One Could Wish. 

Flow California received its name. 

A Spanish story written long ago tells of a fabulous island in 
the "South Seas." This island was called California. It was said 
in the story to be inhabited by Griffins and to abound with gold. 

Spanish sailors sailing westward from Mexico came to what 
they thought was an island lying far out in the Pacific Ocean. To 
this land they gave the name of California, although no Griffins 
Avere found in it, and many years passed before its golden treas- 
ures came to light. 

The land thus discovered is now called Lower California, but 
Upper California, the land in which we live, was not visited until 
many years later. 

Lower California is really a peninsula, as you can see from the 
map, instead of an island, and extends south from our California. 
Upon the old Spanish maps the whole of California is pictured as 
an island with a long, narrow strait separating it from the main- 
land. We now know that this land is not an island. The southern 
end of the supposed strait is the Gulf of California, and the upper 
end is Puget Sound. 



CALIFORNIA 



Where lies California? 

Our California home is far away to the westward of where the 
Pilgrims landed and upon the opposite side of North America. It 
faces west toward the broad Pacific Ocean, along which it stretches 
for nearly one thousand miles. The boundaries of California were 
once very indefinite, but much greater than they are now. It in- 
cluded all that land reaching from Mexico on the south to Oregon 
cm the north and from the Pacific Ocean east to the Rocky Mountains. 

The states of Utah, Nevada and a part of Arizona have been 




Giant breakers in Santa Monica Bay. Auto Club of Southern California. 

made out of this vast territory and what remains forms the Cali- 
fornia of today which we are going to study. 

What sort of land is California? 

If we sail along the coast of California, as did the early navi- 
gators, we find that it has a very even shore line and apparently few 
bays that offer protection from storm. Viewed from the sea this 
land appears to be mostly mountains through which occasional val- 
leys open, and we are thus at first led to believe that its surface is 
too rough to support many people. 

We discover finally that there are more bays than we at first 
supposed and that in and behind the coast mountains there are many 
great valleys. Entering San Francisco Bay we are led through the 
mountains that guard the coast and far into the interior. 

Rich and beautiful valleys lie among the mountains, but it is 



10 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

not until we have passed the strait of Carquinez that the largest one 
comes in sight. 

An almost boundless plain, known as the Great Valley, now 
stretches out before us. Far to the east we get a view of the snow- 
covered Sierra Nevada Mountains. To the north we may be able 
to see Mt. Shasta, one of the highest volcanic peaks in the United 
States. To the south are other mountains, but too far away to be 
seen. Thus this great valley is inclosed upon all sides except for 
the opening through which we enter. It is so rich and of so vast 
an extent that even if there were no others California would never- 
theless be a wonderful land capable of supporting many millions 
of people. 

But this is far from being all of the land that we are studying. 
Away to the south, beyond mountains and desert, lies the Los An- 
geles-San Bernardino Valley. This is another vast lowland which, 
unlike the Great Valley, is open to the sea and is broken by hills 
and mountains. 

This valley is shut in on the north and east by lofty mountains. 
From the summit of San Gorgonio, the highest of their snow-dad 
peaks, we see that these mountains separate the fertile valleys of 
Southern California from trackless deserts which extend farther than 
our eyes can reach. 

The strange thing which we note about these deserts is that 
their slopes do not lead to the sea but from basins instead. None 
of the rain which falls in these basins ever reaches the sea. 

Why is California such a pleasant and fruitful land? 

California is, then, a land of mountains, valleys and desert plains. 
Each of these slopes has its own climate and each has its own pro- 
ductions which are different from the others. 

So agreeable is the climate in most parts ; so varied are the 
natural resources, and so attractive is the scenery, that we speak 
of this land as a pleasant and fruitful garden. ^ 

How has Nature made a garden of California? 

1. California has a fertile soil: The soil is formed from the 
rocks, and since there are in California many kinds of rocks, there 
are also many kinds of soil, each suited to growing certain plants best. 

The rocks are slowly crumbling, and everywhere, except upon 
the steepest slopes, a mantle of soil has accumulated over them, 
forming the smooth surface of the land. The soil is richest and 
deepest in the valleys, where the rains have washed the finer par- 
ticles from the steepest slopes. 

2. California has a favorable climate: A favorable climate is 
the first thing that Nature requires for a garden. The soil may be 
rich but, unless there is the right amount of water and a warm sun, 
plants will not thrive. 

We have taken the natural gardens of this region, cultivated 
the soil, added water where it was needed, set out in them plants 
from many other parts of the world, and now, because of the many 



CALIFORNIA li 

sorts of climate which they possess, we raise almost everything 
which one could wish. 

We can say then truly, that, with the exception of the very 
hot and moist tropics, we grow in California food products native 
to all the climates and countries of the world. 

The valleys along the coast are cool and moist and the temper- 
ature varies but little between winter and summer. 

The climate of the mountains is warm in summer and cold and 
snowy in winter. 

Behind the mountains, where the sea winds do not reach, the 
summer is very hot and the rainfall is small, while still farther in 
the interior are dry and burning deserts. 

3. California has a rich plant and animal life: When first dis- 
covered by white people California was found to support a won- 
derful variety of plant and animal life. The forests were not sur- 
passed by any others in the whole world. The mountains and val- 
leys were alive with animals and land birds, while the marshes, lakes 
and shores were covered with water birds. 

Is all of California a luxuriant garden? 

A favorable climate and fertile soil are needed to make a gar- 
den. Nature has not given these equally to all parts of California. 
As we journey through the valleys and over the mountains we see 
that the animals are more abundant and the vegetation richer in 
some places than in others. 

It rains more toward the north, so that in that direction the 
forests are heavier. The valleys near the coast receive more rain 
than those of the interior. The mountains receive more rain than 
the valleys. 

If we climb to the summit of the Sierra Nevada Mountains we 
find that it steadily becomes colder. We reach a region at last 
where it is so cold that the trees grow only to the size of bushes 
or disappear entirely. Here there are few animals and no vegeta- 
tion but Arctic flowers and mosses. 

From the summits of the Sierra Nevada and Sierra Madre Moun- 
tains we can look down upon vast desert plains shut off from the 
cool, moist winds of the coast. The animals and plants that inhabit 
this region are curious and unfamiliar, for they have become changed 
by living where there is little rain. 

We learn, then, that Nature has bestowed her gifts very un- 
evenly over California. Certain parts are barren because of too little 
rain, while other parts are barren because of too great cold. The 
larger part, however, has a climate suited to the making of a vast 
and fruitful garden. 

What led to the settlement and cultivation of this garden? 

1. Our California Garden remained for many years much as 
Nature made it: The Indians inhabited California for hundreds of 
years, but they had no use for the forests, nor did they cultivate 



12 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



the soil. Wild game, fish, roots and nuts furnished enough for their 
simple needs. 

When the Spanish came they, too, found little need for work. 
From the fertile soil and from the increase of their herds they ob- 
tained, with little exertion, all that they required. 

2, The discovery of gold and the coming of an energetic and 
industrious people: When gold was discovered everything was sud- 
denly changed. Thousands of brave, active and energetic men poured 
into California from the Eastern States. They overcame untold dan- 
gers on the long journey and suffered many hardships in the new 
land. Thus it came about that, after many years of quiet, the great 
state of California was born almost in a day and is now one of the 
most important in our country. 

3. The growth of a market for produce and the opening of a 




Placer miners panning the gravel for gold. 

way to reach this market: The greater part of the people of the 
United States live east of the Rocky Mountains, far from California. 
The mild climate of the valleys of our state permit the growing here 
of many things Avhich cannot be grown in the East and which the 
people there are glad to get. But until we had secured a cheap and 
easy means of sending our produce to this market, there was no use 
in raising more than we needed at home. 

Hides and tallow had been shipped away by water since the 
earliest davs. After the discoverv of gold the growing of wheat, 



CALIFORNIA 13 

oats and barley became, next to the raising of cattle and sheep, the 
most important farm industry, for they, too, could be shipped by 
water. The building of the railroads finally opened the Eastern mar- 
ket and led to the rapid settlement of the fertile valleys. Many thou- 
sands of carloads of fruit and vegetables are now sent East across 
the continent every year, while the opening of the Panama Canal 
affords still other markets. 

Topic III. — California as the Home of the Indian. 

Where did the Indians come from, and have they been 
here long? 

When white people first visited California they found it settled 
thickly with Indians. There v\'ere many different tribes, each speak- 
ing a different language, but their features, their habits and cus- 
toms were much alike. 

It is believed from the resemblance of the features and customs 
of the Indians to those of the natives of Northeastern Asia (Siberia) 
that their ancestors came from that region. They could reach Alaska 
across Behring Strait, and then it was easy to migrate southward. 

There are several reasons for believing that the Indians have 
been here thousands of years. One is that they spoke so many dif- 
ferent languages. It must have taken many thousands of years for 
languages so distinct to grow out of the common language which 
their ancestors probably spoke. 

Another reason is furnished by the shell mounds. The Indians 
used to gather along the shores of the ocean and bays for feasts of 
shell-fish. The refuse from these feasts slowly accumulated and 
finally formed mounds ; the largest of these are at Shell Mound Park 
and at Richmond on the shore of San Francisco Bay. These mounds 
were begun so long ago that since that time there have been changes 
in the level of the sea and land. The bases of these mounds are 
now sunken below the level of the bay. 

Something about the life of the Indians. 

The climate of much of California is so mild that the Indians 
wore little clothing. Their huts were very simple and easily made. 
A common form was a circular one, made by placing poles in the 
ground and bending them over and tying them at the top. These 
poles were covered with skins, bark, reeds or branches, and then 
sometimes plastered with mud on the outside. 

They did not cultivate the soil, but had no difficulty in getting 
what they wanted to eat. The water was full of fish and the land 
abounded with game. Besides these, there were berries, nuts, acorns 
and many kinds of roots. Because of their custom of digging roots, 
these Indians have often been called "Diggers." 

They made no pottery or cloth, but wove beautiful baskets 
which we now prize very highly. They crushed their food in stone 
mortars, which were sometimes mere hollows worn in a large flat rock. 



14 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



Why have the Indians so nearly disappeared? 




A Digger pine, so named because the nuts are 
used by the Digger Indians. 

Found in the Coast Ranges and foothills of the 
Sierras. 



Once the villages 
of the Indians could 
be seen thickly scat- 
tered along the 
streams and about 
the springs. We 
can still tell where 
they were by the 
dark rich soil filled 
with fragments of 
bone, shells and 
flint arrow points. 

Now we seldom 
see an Indian except 
in the wilder and 
less settled parts of 
the state. The Padres 
tried to civilize them 
and make them live 
in houses, but they 
became sickly and 
rapidly died off. The 
most of those that 
still remain live upon 
lands called Reser- 
vations, which are 
held by the Govern- 
ment for their use. 
They get a part of 
their living from 
cultivating the land 
and a part from hir- 
ing out to white 
farmers. 

Our treatment of 
the Indians has not 
always been just or 
wise. We should 
protect them and al- 
low them to live the 
sort of life for which 
Nature has fitted 
them. 



Topic IV. — California as the Home of the Spaniard. 

How was it that California was settled first by the Spaniards ? 
1. Because of nearness to Mexico with a direct route by sea: 
When Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean he claimed for Spain all 
the lands bordering upon it. 



CALIFORNIA 



15 



After the conquest of Mexico the Spaniards embarked upon the 
new ocean for the purpose of taking possession of its lands and 
converting the natives to the Catholic religion. 

They first landed upon Lower or Baja California, which they 
took to be an island. Then they sailed northward and reached the 
land about which we are studying and called it Upper or Alta 
California. 

2. Because the American colonies were far away and separated 
by hostile Indians, mountains and deserts: The first American set- 
tlers had all they could do to establish their homes upon the At- 
lantic Coast without attempting to explore and settle the vast land 
which extended away into the interior of the continent. 

Besides this there were many more barriers in the way of such 
explorations than lay in the paths of the Spaniards. In the first 
place, forests inhabited by savage Indians stretched westward over 
the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi Valley. Beyond this 
valley were broad plains reaching to the Rocky Mountains; then 




A Klamath River Indian. 



16 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

hundreds of miles of deserts, and, last of all, the Sierra Nevada 
Mountains. 

Our New England forefathers knew nothing of all this region, 
nor had they heard of California and its attractions. Even as late 
as the Mexican War and the conquest of California, many of the 
people in the East thought the Far West was a worthless, barren 
region which it would never pay to bother about. 

Why was it that most of the Spaniards settled near the Coast 
of California? 

It was easier to reach California by sea than by land, for many 
hundreds of miles of sandy desert lay between this region and Mex- 
ico. For this reason the land journey was not only dangerous but 
required a long time. 

It was but natural, then, that the first settlements should be 
made at those places upon the coast, such as San Diego and Mon- 
terey, where there was protection for ships. 

The valleys near the sea offered attractive places for settle- 
ments. Here there was water for irrigation and large areas of rich 
land. Inland the climate was found to be drier and besides there 
was more danger of attack by Indians. 

What influenced the Padres in their selection of Mission sites 
and towns? 

The Padres soon learned that the new land had long, dry sum- 
mers, like those to which they had been accustomed in Mexico and 
Spain. To grow successful gardens in such a climate it would be 
necessary to irrigate them, and hence their settlements were made 
where there was plenty of water. The Padres also had in mind the 
quality of the soil. 

Hence every Mission was placed in a rich and well-watered val- 
ley. The places selected were also determined, in part, by their 
nearness to the villages of large numbers of Indians, so that the}' 
could be more easily induced to attend religious services. 

Why did the Spanish settlers cultivate so little of these rich 
lands? 

Each mission or rancho had its own carefully-kept garden and 
grain-fields to supply the home needs, but it was useless to raise 
more; for there was no market. 

As a result most of the land remained unplowed and covered 
with its natural carpet of wild grasses. On these pasture lands 
countless thousands of cattle and sheep fed. However, even they 
were of little value, for hides, tallow and wool were the only pro- 
ducts for which there was a market. Trading vessels, which occa- 
sionally visited the coast, took these things in exchange for various 
manufactured articles. 




Santa Barbara. A Typical Mission Scene 



CALIFORNIA 17 

How the geography of Northern Cahtoniia hindered that 
region from becoming a Rtissian pro\'ince. 

The Russians discovered and claimed Alaska and built trading- 
posts along its shores. They had great need of fresh meat and veg- 
etables in this far northern region, and, searching for a place in 
which they could supply themselves with these things, sailed down 
the coast to California. 

Finding the land unoccupied they landed a few miles north of 
the mouth of Russian River and built a stockade to which they gave 
the name of Fort Ross. They explored the adjoining country, went 
on hunting expeditions to the Farallone Islands, and even entered 
San Francisco Bay. They would have liked to have taken possession 
of this fair region, but feared to disturb the Spanish, who had already 
established the Presidio of San Francisco and laid claim to all the 
surrounding- region. 

The Russians never extended their territory inland from Fort 
Ross, for the unbroken Coast Ranges, steep and difficult to cross, 
shut away from them the warm and fertile valleys of the interior. 

As a direct result of the obstacles w'hich Nature had placed in 
the way of the Russians enlarging their holdings, they finally aban- 
doned the fort and sailed away. 

How did California appear when in 1848 it became a part of 
our country? 

If we could have visited California at this time we should have 
looked upon a vast region of forested mountains, oak-dotted A'alleys 
and almost boundless plains. The whole country still remained 
almost as Nature made it. 

A few white settlers occupied the valleys near the coast. A 
string of missions stretched from San Diego to Sonoma and close 
to them had grown up a few small towns. The chief of these were 
San Diego, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, 
]\Ionterey, Santa Cruz and San Jose. 

As the Spanish settlers came they were given grants of land by 
the ]\Iexican government. Nearly all the best lands of the coast 
region were thus divided into ranches which were often many miles 
in extent. 

Here and there were the white-washed adobe ranch houses with 
their many outbuildings and corrals. There were no fences, but 
each man's cattle were known by the "brand." 

Twice a year each man held what was called a Rodeo or 
"Round Up," which simply meant the gathering of all his cattle. 
The spring round-up was for the purpose of branding the calves, 
while that of the fall was for separating the stock intended for 
market. 

The Rodeo, as well as the sheep-shearing time, were the occa- 
sions of merriment and festivity. 

Antelope, elk and deer abounded. The thickets were filled with 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 




Fort Ross — Coast Ranges in background. Boat loading by 
cable in foreground, 

bear and other predatory animals. The forests were almost ttn* 
touched and most of the land was unplowed. In the spring the 
valleys and plains were covered with the brilliant poppy and other 
wild flowers. 

The end of the quiet California days. 

The discovery of gold a few months after the conquest of Cali- 
fornia made a wonderful change. Gold seekers began to pour into 
California from every direction. They came in through the Golden 
Gate and passed up the Sacramento River. They crossed the moun* 
tains and deserts in their ox-wagons by way of Oregon, by way of 
Arizona, but, in greatest numbers, by the main overland trail through 
Nevada and across the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

They came by the thousands and scattered through the foot- 
hills of the gold belt and then spread into the fertile valleys. Life 
and bustle succeeded the quiet which had reigned here so long. 

SUMMARY. 

The discovery of gold in California led to the rapid settlement 
of a region remote and difficult to reach. 

When mining became less profitable the pioneers turned to the 
cultivation of the fertile valleys, and soon this state, which first be- 
came widely known as a land of gold, became even more celebrated 
for its golden fruits and agreeable climate. 

Neither the Indians nor the Spanish made use of the natural 



CALIFORNIA 19 

resources of California. In a short time after the coming of the 
Americans these were developed more than they had been during 
all the past history of the region. 

REVIEW QUESTIONS. 

Why is gold so earnestly sought after? 

Why was it so difficult to reach California in the early days? 

Describe any Indians which you have seen. 

Tell what you can about their weapons and utensils. 

Why did the Indians disappear so quickly from the most of Cali- 
fornia? 

Did any American Indians cultivate the soil before the whites came? 

Why did the Spanish settlers give the most of their attention to 
stock raising? 

Why did they not settle the interior valleys? 

By what routes and by what means is produce now shipped out 
of California? 

Mention some of the most important things which we export. 

What other country besides Russia would have liked to obtain 
California ? 

Tell from your own observations something about the differences 
in the climate of the coast, the mountains, and the interior. 

Tell what is needed in order to raise a good garden. 

How are lands, in those parts of California where the rainfall is 
not sufficient, made to produce abundantly? 

PRACTICAL LESSONS. 

A country of mountains and valleys has a more varied climate 
than a level country. 

Men will undergo the greatest hardships and dangers and go to 
the most distant regions in the hope of getting gold. 

If the geography of California had been different it might never 
have become a part of the United States. 

A garden may be ever so rich, but it will produce little but use- 
less weeds if not cultivated. 

California was so far away and so difficult to reach that if it had 
not been for gold it would have settled up slowly. 

Civilized people make much more use of the natural resources of 
a countrv than do savages. 





7 V H ";56'' 







CHAPTER IT. 

Tone I. — The Main Routes 1)y AMiich the Pioneers 
Reached Cahfornia. 

Did the Pioneers have maps to guide them in their journey 
across the continent to the new land? 

Before the discovery .of gold Httle was known of all that vast 
region between the IMississippi River and the Pacific Coast. The 
first men to penetrate the recesses of the Rocky ^Mountains were 
the trappers and traders in search of furs. Then came the noted 
expedition of Lewis and Clark which was the first to cross the 
Rock}^ ]\Iountains and reach the_ Pacific. The route followed was, 
however, far to the north of that used b}- the gold seekers. King 
as it did much of the distance along the Missouri, Snake and Co- 
lumbia Rivers. 

General Fremont did more than any one else to make known 
the routes to California, and for that reason has been called the 
"Pathfinder." He and his party nearly perished in mid-winter on 
the summit of the Sierra Nevada IMountains while tr3'ing to find a 
river which they supposed rose in the Rocky Mountains and flowed 
westward into San Francisco Bay. They found, instead of a river, 
a lofty snow-covered range of mountains called by the Spanish 
Sierra Nevada, meaning" snowy range. 

If such a river had really existed it would have been easy for 
the pioneers after crossing the Rocky Mountains to follow it down 
to California. ]\Iany perished while seeking" out new trails, for they 
did not know of the dangers ahead of them. The first maps of this 
region, as in the case of that used by General Fremont, were worse 
than no maps, for they were so incorrect. 

The water routes to Cahfornia. 

There were two ways of reaching California by water. The 
shorter way was down the Atlantic Coast to the Isthmus of Panama, 
and then up the Pacific to San Francisco. Thousands came this way, 
but many died of fevers Avhile crossing" the Isthmus. 

The longer water route was around Cape Florn, the southern 
point of South America. This journey took six months and was 
also dangerous because of the frequent and severe storms around 
the cape. 

A' large part of the supplies for California came around Cape 
Horn in the early days, and continued to do so down to the time 
of the opening of the Panama Canal. 

The land routes to California. 

We must remember in the first ])lacc that the vast region wliich 
lay between the ■\Iississipi)i River and the Pacific Ocean was almost 
unknown at the time of the gold excitement, It was made up ol' 



22 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



broad plains, mountain ranges and deserts. The mountains were 
difficult to cross, while the deserts were almost without water and 
forage. The roads or "trails" must for these reasons follow cer- 
tain routes where there were streams or springs and cross the moun- 
tains at points where they were lowest — that is, through mountain 
passes. There were a number of different routes which we ought 
to know something about. 

A. The Great Salt Lake and Carson Trail : This was the direct 
route used by most of the emigrants. It started at St. Louis and 
followed the Platte River much of the way across the plains. Pass- 
ing through the Rocky Mountains a little north of Great Salt Lake, 
it crossed the deserts of Utah until, reaching the Humboldt River 
in what is now Nevada, it descended this river to the "Sink of the 
Carson." Here was the broad, much dreaded, desert in which the 
waters of the Carson River sink. 

After the crossing of the desert came the Sierra Nevadas. If 
it was summer their cool forests and refreshing waters were greatly 
enjoyed. At other seasons its winds were icy and snows blocked 
the trails. When once these mountains were passed it was easy 
to reach the gold fields which lay along their western base. 

B. The Santa Fe Trail: The Santa Fe Trail was the old trad- 
ing route from St. Louis to New Mexico and Old Mexico. The 
emigrants followed this trail to Santa Fe and then turned west 
across Arizona toward Southern California. This route was more 
dangerous than the northern one because there were more deserts 
and the Indians were more savage. After reaching Fort Yuma, on 
the border of California, they had still the dreaded Colorado Desert 
to cross before reaching San Diego or Los Angeles. 




Strange work of the waves at Point Buchon near San Luis Obispo. 



CALIFORNIA 



23 



C. The Oregon Trail: It was difficult to go from Oregon into 
California in the early days. The steep mountains and deep, nar- 
row caiions which lay in the way could not be traversed until 
3^ears later, when costly roads had been built. 

Peter Lassen opened a rough road across the volcanic plateau 
of Northeastern California. It passed near the great volcano now 
called Lassen Peak. Few emigrants came by this route. 

D. The old Mormon Trail: A trail used by some of the early 
Mormon settlers of Southern California started at Salt Lake City 
and led in a southwesterly direction across Southern Nevada. It 
crossed the broad Mohave Desert and ended in the Valley of San 
Bernardino. This route was not used much because of the almost 
continuous desert with little water and feed for cattle. 

Topic II. — The California Coast Presented Many Diffi- 
culties to the Early Explorers. 

The difficulties of the early navigators. 

We read in the tales of the early navigators who sailed along 
the California coast that they found the shore rocky and mountain- 
ous with few places where they could anchor their ships in safety. 
They also report many storms and head winds which continually beat 
them back. None of them got farther north than Cape Mendocino. 

Both Drake and Vizcaino sailed past the Golden Gate, and, 
probably because of fog, did not see the narrow entrance to the 
magnificent Bay of San Francisco. 

How did the mountainous coast hinder exploration by land? 

There would have been little difficulty in going from San Diego 

to San Francisco and northward even to Oregon if the explorers 




Morro Rock— nearly 600 feet high. The grandest monument on the 
coast of California. 



-4 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

could have Jollowcd the sli<>rc all (Ik- w a}". This was impossible, 
ho\\e\'er, because in many places the mountains come directly down 
to the sea so that there is not room for a road or even a trail be- 
tween the rocky cliffs of the ocean and the steep slopes of the 
mountains. 

How would travel along the shore be made easier if the land 
should rise a little, exposing a strip of the ocean floor? 

]\Iany soundings have been made in the ocean along the coast 
so that we know much about the bottom. The water has been found 
to be shallow in most places and the bottom almost as even as a 
floor. If the land now stood as high as it did once the shore would 
l)e many miles out under the blue Avaters of the Pacific. 

The smooth floor of the ocean thus exposed would have offered 
an open highway for travel the whole length of California if peo- 
ple had onl}^ been here to make use of it. Unfortunately the land 
sank long before any one came to these shores. Now mountains 
and deserts form a serious barrier bet\veen Southern and Northern 
California. 

What more can we learn from the soundings along the Cali- 
fornia Coast? 

The soundings tell us also that the bottom of the ocean along 
our coast is Cjuite like a plain in most places and that the water 
is shallow for some distance out from the shore. The strip of shal- 
low water is about ten miles wide along the coast of Northern Cali- 
fornia, but broadens toward the south until it finalh^ becomes nearly 
tw'o hundred miles across. 

Outside of the shallows the bottom of the ocean floor descends 
very steeply to the deep Pacific, so that if the water could be taken 
away and we could see the bottom it would appear like a shoulder 
along the border of the land. 

This shoulder, although now below the sea, marks the western 
edge of the continent. It has the form of a plateau beneath the 
sea and so we call it the submerged continental plateau. 

How would the shore be aft'ected if the land should rise one 
thousand feet? 

The change in the shore line would be so great that we would 
hardly recognize the new land as California. The present ba3^s 
would all become dry land, while new ones far out under the pres- 
ent water would take their place. Thousands of acres of fertile 
valley land would be added to the state. 

The new shore would lie outside the Farallone Islands wdiich 
would become a part of the mainland. A long, narrow bay extend- 
ing up nearly to the present mouth of the Salinas River would take 
the place of Monterey Bay. The Santa Barbara Islands would be- 
come a part of the mainland also and have a great bay behind them. 
Farther south Santa Catalina and San Clemente would still remain 



CALIFORNIA 



25 



islands and many shuals forming new islands would appear abo\e 
the water. 

What reason have we for believing that most of the islands 
have been a part of the mainland? 

Upon the Santa Barbara Islands have been found the bones of 
animals that once lived in California but which are now extinct. 
Among these were the mastodon and horse. These animals could 
have reached the islands only when they were connected with the 
mainland. 

Topic III. — The Slopes of the Land, and the Position of the 
Mountains and Rivers of California Made it Dif- 
ficult for the Pioneers to Reach the 
Mines b}^ All but One Route. 

Introduction. 

Nature has placed many obstacles in the way of our getting 
those things which we prize most, and we shall now see how true 
this was of our California gold. 

The most important placer mines were found in the foothills 
of the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the eastern side of the San 




A wave-cut terrace and caves near Port Harford. 

stood ten feet higher. 



Made when the ocean 



26 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

Joaquin-Sacramento Valley, and in the Klamath Mountains at the 
north end of this valley. 

Except for the single outlet through which flows the Sacra- 
mento River, this great valley is rimmed all about by mountains, 
while beyond these are other mountains and deserts. 

How did those who came by water reach the mines? 

1. The Colorado River could not be used as a route to the 
mines: Why could not the "gold seekers" coming by ship to Cali- 
fornia have sailed up the Gulf of California and have entered the 
Colorado River? This great stream, as the map shows us, forms 
the southeastern boundary of California and appears to offer an easy 
way far inland toward the north. 

In reality, however, the Colorado River is almost impassable 
for boats except the smallest flat-bottomed ones. The current is 
rapid and the water shallow and full of ever shifting sand-bars. 
The lower course of the river is through deserts, while its middle 
part is in a mighty cafion. 

2. What can we say of the Klamath River as a possible route 
from the coast to the mines? Our map shows that the Klamath is 
a large river rising in Oregon and following westerly across North- 
ern California. 

If we could visit this region we should discover that its course 
is through the Klamath Mountains in a deep cation and that there 
is no harbor or landing place at its mouth. 

The Klamath River and tributary streams were rich in placer 
gold, but the stream was no use to the miners in reaching this 
region. They had to cross the very rugged country which lay be- 
tween its basin and the Sacramento Valley. 

3. San Francisco Bay and Sacramento River route: After hav- 
ing searched in vain along the coast of California for any other prac- 
tical route to the mines, we turn to San Francisco Bay and the great 
river which empties into it. 

We now learn why all the ships with their loads of gold seek- 
ers from all parts of the world came to San Francisco. Here was 
perfect protection from the storms. Here was a great bay opening 
far into the interior. From the head of this bay a navigable river 
led almost to the mining camps. 

Once at San Francisco all the gold seekers had to do was to 
embark on river boats. This took them up through San Pablo Bay, 
the Strait of Carquinez and into Suisun Bay. Here they were in 
the delta region of the Great Central Valley. 

In this delta two streams were found coming together. The 
one from the northern arm of the Great Valley was called the Sac- 
ramento, the one from the southern arm of the valley was called 
the San Joaquin. 

Following up the river which came from the north they came 
to the town of Sacramento, which had grown up near Sutter's Fort. 
It was an important point for distributing supplies and was also 
the end of the overland trail. 



CALIFORNIA 



27 



Farther up the Sacramento River was Red Bluff at the head of 
navigation. This town was an important supply point for the north- 
ern mines in Shasta and Siskiyou Counties. 

The farthest point reached by boats on the Feather River, a 
branch of the Sacramento, determined the site of Marysville, an- 
other distributing point close to the mines. 

The miners who wished to go to the southern mines took a boat 
for Stockton, a town which had sprung up at the head of navigation 
on a branch of the San Joaquin River. 

What difficulties still lay in the way of those who came over- 
land after they had at last reached the boundaries of 
California ? 

1. The Sierra Nevada Mountains: The mighty Sierra Nevada 
Mountains could not be avoided, for they stretched north and south 
for four hundred miles directly in the path of the Salt Lake trail 
by which most of the emigrants came. After they had crossed the 
Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the deserts of Utah and 
Nevada, the Sierras had to be passed before they could enter the 
Golden Land. 

The Sierra Nevadas are covered with heavy snows during a 
large part of the year and so the journey had to be planned to reach 
them in summer or early fall. We must remember also that the 
emigrants who came first had to make their own roads. They had 
to get over sharp, rocky ridges and across precipitous caiions where 
sometimes the wagons had to be taken apart and pulled up or let 
down with ropes. 




Freighting on the Sacramento River. 



28 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

2. The deserts and mountains between Southern California and 
the Great Valley: The route to the mines by the Santa Fe trail 
was much longer and offered difficulties even after San Diego or 
Los Angeles had been reached. 

Nature has placed many obstacles in the way of travel between 
Southern and Northern California. To understand what these are 
let us take a train from Los Angeles to Bakersfield. We shall have 
to cross three mountain ranges, two of them by "passes"' and one 
by tunnel. Altogether there are fifty miles of mountains and then 
the Mohave Desert covering fifty miles more. If we travel over 
the old stage road we find the country equally difficult to cross. 

The Mohave Desert forms a wedge pointing westward and with 
its inclosing mountains divides California into two parts, and for 
a long time formed a serious barrier to travel and trade. 

The only way by which the early traveler could escape this 
barrier was by taking the old trail used by the Padres and known 
as the Camino Real. 

This trail lies through the valleys near the coast, but it also 
had to cross several mountain ranges. 

To avoid the mountains between Ventura and Santa Barbara 
the trail descended at one point to the base of lofty ocean cliff's 
beneath which the traveler could pass only at low tide. 

3. The mountains shutting off Oregon: The northern end of 
the Sacramento Valley is inclosed by mountains which are many 
miles across and were almost impassable in the early days. This 
difficulty of making a wagon road from Redding to Shasta Valley 
was very great. AVhen this road was finally opened there remained 
still the Siskiyou Alountains to be crossed before Oregon could be 
reached. Those who tried to escape these mountains by entering 
California over the Lassen trail found that they had many miles of 
rough lava fields to cross. 

Topic IV. — Climate Has Had Much to Do With the Settle- 
ment and Development of Our California Garden. 

Introduction. 

The discovery of gold led to the rapid settlement of California, 
but it is its climate which has had more to do with its permanent 
growth and present importance than anything else. 

Because the surface of California is so varied, because there 
are many high mountains whose tops are cold, because there are 
lowland valleys where the sun strikes ver}- hot in summer, because 
there are coast lands cool and moist from the sea winds, one ma}' 
find here almost any sort of climate he wishes. 

As a result of the many sorts of climate there is grown here 
a greater variety of fruits, nuts, vegetables and grains than in any 
other country of the same size in the whole world. 

We find heavy forests in the north and upon the mountains. In 
the southeast there are deserts where little grows. In the warmer 



CALIFORNIA 



29 



valleys we find oranges, and even dates, and in the cooler ones all 
the frnits of the temperate climes. 

How is it that the early Spanish settlers found themselves 
at home in the climate of this region? 

These early settlers came from Mexico and Spain. In both 
countries they were used to long, dry summers and had learned the 
need of irrigating their gardens with water from the streams. 



MAf sHowma 
DISTRIBTTriON 

OP- 
RAINFALL 

IN 

CALIFORXIA 




Thus it was natural that in California with a similar dry sum- 
mer they should know what to do and should pick places for the 
mission settlements and for the ranch houses where w^ater could 
be had for the all-important gardens. 

In how far was the climate of California new to the emigrants 
from the Eastern States ? 

As a usual thing rains fall frequently enough in the Eastern 
States to keep the gardens fresh so that irrigation is not neces- 



30 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



sary. There are seasons, however, when the rains do not come 
and the gardens dry up. 

It took the newcomers some time to understand the climate of 
California. The summer season was found to be without rain for 
from three to five months. During this time the interior valleys be- 
came very hot, but the air was so dry that they did not feel the 
heat so much as they did in the East. 

The valleys did not usually get cold enough in winter for snow 
to fall, although ice sometimes formed at night. On the mountains 
only a few miles from the valleys the climate was found to be cold 
with deep snows in winter. 

In all the lowlands of the state, excepting the deserts of the 
southeastern part, there was usually rain enough to grow the com- 
mon farm crops. Irrigation seemed a clumsy way of helping Nature 
supply a sufficient amount of water and besides it required much 
work. It was a long time before the emigrants came to appreciate 
the advantages of irrigation and to use it on a large scale. 

How can we account for the vast deserts which the emigrants 

had to cross to reach California? 

1. The farther the valleys lie from the coast, and the more 
mountains there are between, the drier they are: We will take an 
imaginary journey, starting at Monterey and going east, to learn 
what we can about this. 

Monterey, like other coast places, has a mild even climate with 
cool, foggy winds from the sea in summer. We go but a few miles 
across the hills to the Salinas Valley and find ourselves already in a 
climate which is drier and much warmer. 




A scene on the new State Highway (the Camino Real) in a beautiful valley 
of the Central Coast Ranges. 



CALIFORNIA 31 

We next cross the Gavilaii and Mt. Diablo Ranges, and de- 
scending from this elevated region, where there is an abundant rain- 
fall, reach the western side of the San Joaquin Valley. So little rain 
falls here that the country has much the appearance of a desert. 
The reason for this is that the mountains ofifer a barrier to the 
storm clouds and winds, and take so much of their moisture that 
little remains for the valley behind them. We now cross the San 
Joaquin Valley and begin to climb the Sierra Nevadas. 

The higher we go the cooler it becomes, and we can tell by 
the forests of great trees that much more rain falls here than in 
the valley. 

As we approach the summit of the mountains the trees become 
smaller and finally disappear, leaving bare earth and rocks. The 
winters are as cold as in the far north and the snow lasts eight 
months of the year. 

Far below to the east lies Owen Valley, to which we descend. 
Here we are behind the great mountain wall of the Sierras. The 
summers are hot and the rainfall is very small. 

Now the Inyo-W^hite Mountain Range has to be crossed, but 
the few stunted trees even on its lofty summit tell us that the 
Sierra Nevadas take so much of the moisture from the air that little 
remains for the country to the eastward. 

We continue our journey and soon pass from California into 
Nevada. Before us for hundreds of miles stretch desert valleys and 
barren mountains. We have now crossed so many mountain ranges 
and have gone so far from the ocean that we have lost the sea winds 
loaded with water particles. 

Unless we carry water with us we shall be obliged to turn aside 
in search of some one of the few scattered springs hidden away 
in the cafions. In some parts, especially in Death Valley, the heat 
of summer is so great that it is hardly safe to undertake a journey 
except at night. 

Although we call this region a desert there is no place that 
does not receive a little rain. There are many curious plants and 
animals that have become accustomed to living with very little water. 

Occasionally summer thunder storms occur and then the rain 
pours down so fiercely that we call them "cloudbursts." Torrents 
of water laden with mud, sand and even boulders sweep down the 
canons for a few hours and then dry up, while their waters sink 
in the sands of the desert valleys. 

There is no desert in California as dry as the Sahara of Xorth 
Africa. 

2, Most of the storms come from a westerly direction: We 
must remember in studying the climate of our state that, although 
there is much fog and cloud along the coast in the summer, nearly 
all the rain falls during the winter months. 

We shall discover, if we watch carefully, that the storms gen- 
erally come from, the west, for in that direction the clouds first 
appear, but that the wind which brings the rain is a southerly one. 
We shall learn the reason for this a little later, but want to re- 



^2 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

member now that throughout most of the year the wind blows from 
a westerly direction — that is, from the sea — toward the land. 

The fog which is brought in with the west wind in summer 
buries the coast lands and the west slope of the first range of 
mountains in a cool blanket, through which the sun may not shine 
for days, while the country on the eastern side of these mountains 
enjoys warm, bright sunshine. 

The storms of winter also strike the western side of the moun- 
tains more severely, giving- heavier rain there than they do in the 
valleys on the eastern side. 

The storms are heavier also high on the mountains because of 
the cold air there, which changes more of the fine water particles 
to rain-drops. The farmer there may get all the rain he needs, while 
another farmer at the base of the mountains receives very little. 

The air as it comes from the sea can carry only a certain quan- 
tity of water particles, and the more mountains there are in the 
way, and the higher and colder these mountains are, the more com- 
pletely will it be robbed of these water particles. 

The farther the moist sea air goes inland the more water it loses, 
until finally there is so little left that no more rain falls and the 
clouds disappear. This is one of the reasons why there are vast 
deserts in the heart of our continent. 

3. Near the coast the summ^ers are very little warmer than the 
winters, but in the interior they are very hot: The land warms 
quickly under the bright summer sun and cools off again when wim 
ter approaches. The great ocean behaves very differently, as you 
would learn if you could bathe in it some miles oft" the California 



A glacier on the north slope of Shastina. 



CALIFORNIA S3 

coast. You would there find the water uiiconifortal:)ly cool at all 
times of the year. 

Because the -ocean remains at so nearly the same temperature 
the winds that blow across it and onto the land also have an even 
temperature. They make the winters warmer than they otherwise 
would be and the summers cooler. 

As the winds pass over the land they are warmed in summer 
and chilled in winter. The farther they reach into the interior the 
hotter and drier the air becomes in summer. Thus it is that the 
valleys of this region that lie far from the ocean, and separated from 
it by lofty mountains, are not only very dry but exceedingly hot. 

4. The mountain ranges extend across the course of the winds 
and storms: We have already learned that the great deserts lie be- 
hind the mountains, where the cool, moist winds do not reach. This 
means that the storms do not have a free passage toward the east, 
but that the mountains block them and make them drop so much of 
their moisture that the lands to the eastward are desert. 

If the mountain ranges extended in the same direction as that 
in wdiich the storms move, the interior valleys would be cooler and 
would also receive more rain. There would then be no great des- 
erts and the pioneers would have had a much easier time in reach- 
ing" California. 

5. Toward the south the mountains are higher and the storms 
less frequent: If we should go northward along the coast from San 
Francisco through Oregon and A\'ashington we w^ould find that the 
rainfall increases and the rainy season becomes longer. 

The Cascade Range lying back of this part of the coast is not 
high enough to break the force of the storms and the valle3-s of 
Central Oregon and Washington receive a moderate amount of rain. 

If w^e should go southward toward San Diego we would find 
that it rains much less, for the Avinter storms are fewer in number. 

The Sierra Xevada JNIountains extend north and south through 
Eastern California for nearly four hundred miles and for much of 
this distance are more than twelve thousand feet high. 

To the east and south of this range, which, together with other 
mountains, cuts off the sea winds and storms, are the driest and 
hottest deserts in the United States. Death Valley, the Mohave, 
and Colorado Deserts could tell many stories of suft'ering and death. 

Why the south wind brings rain. 

W'c have learned that the winds commonly Ijlow from the ocean 
toward the land and that the storms come from the same direction. 
Then why do we say that it is going to rain when the south wind 
blows, since the storms come from the west? 

The ocean of air at the bottom of which we live is always in 
motion. The main current in this ocean over California is from the 
sea toward the land. \Mien a storm appears drifting in from the 
ocean with this air current the air about this storm is verv much 



34 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



disturbed and blows from different directions. It has a whirling 
motion similar to the motion of a dust whirl. 

The whirling air which sucks up the column of dust behaves 
exactly like one of our winter storms. The only difference is that 
the dust whirl is small and carries dust, while the storm carries 
rain and spreads over many hundreds of miles. 

We say it is going to rain when the "south wind" blows because 
we feel the wind first from that direction as a storm approaches. 

The rainy season is longer and the storms more frequent in 
the north than in the south. 

Why is it that latitude has so little to do with the climate 
of California? 

The latitude of a place is its distance north or south of the equa- 
tor. The farther we go from the equator the cooler the climate 
ordinarily becomes, because the sun does not rise so high and thus 
gives less heat to the land. 

California stretches a long distance from north to south, cov- 
ering many degrees of latitude. We should expect for this reason 
that the northern part would be much colder than the southern, 
but this is not so. Oranges grow as well in the northern end of 
the Sacramento Valley as they do at San Diego. 

This is because the winds that blow across the Japan Current 
and onto the land have almost the same temperature the whole 
length of the state. They make the lands of the south cooler and 
those of the north warmer than they otherwise would be. 




One of the highest peaks of the Sierra IMevadas; Mt. 
near the timber line. 



Kitter, trom 



CALIFORNIA ^5 

if we should measure along the Atlantic Coast southward from 
New York a distance equal to the length of California we should 
find that, while in New York it is very cold in winter, at the southern 
end of the line oranges and vegetables are growing in the open air. 

This is because the Eastern States do not have the tempering 
winds from the sea to modify the natural climate which latitude gives. 

Why do we give the name "Great Basin" to the deserts of 
Eastern CaHfornia and Nevada? 

When the early explorers first entered the desert region between 
the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas they were surprised to 
find the lakes with no outlets and the water filled with salt and soda. 

We speak of a river basin as including all the land that slopes 
toward one river, but such is not a true basin, for the water flows 
out at one side. In this strange desert the explorers found hundreds 
of true basins, each with a rim of high land all around it. 

General Fremont gave the name "Great Basin" to all this desert 
region because he found it to be a true basin with a rim of higher 
land extending completely around it. No rain that fell within the 
slopes of this basin could ever reach the ocean. 

If it should rain in the Great Basin as much as it does along the 
coast of California the little basins would fill up and form lakes. 
The higher lakes would overflow into the lower ones and finally 
so much water would gather in the latter that they would break 
over the outer rim of land and send rivers away to the sea. 

It rains enough now to form a number of lakes, such as Honey, 
Mono and Owens, but not enough to make them overflow. Because 
they have no outlets they contain so much salt, soda and other min- 
erals that no fish can live in their waters. 

Long ago it rained more than it does now and some of the 
lakes overflowed and their waters became fresh. The largest of 
these was Great Salt Lake, which overflowed into the Snake River 
in Idaho. 

What can we learn as to the dangers of the desert from the 
Death Valley expedition? 

In 1849 a party of emigrants, thinking they could reach Cali- 
fornia and escape crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains, sought out 
a new way, far to the south of the main overland trail. They turned 
south of Great Salt Lake and made their way across Southern Ne- 
vada. They knew nothing of the mountains and deserts to be crossed 
or where they could obtain water and forage for their stock. 

At last they reached what we noAv call Death Valley in a fam- 
ishing condition. The most of their cattle had died and they could 
go no further without help. They thought the mighty Panamint 
Range which rose in front of them might be the Sierra Nevadas, 
If so they would soon come to water and green meadows, while the 
fertile valleys of California would lie just beyond. 



36 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

Men went ahead to explore, but found that two rugged moun- 
tain ranges still remained to be crossed before reaching the longed- 
for Sierras. One man finall}^ reached a ranch in the mountains far 
to the southwest in the direction of Los Angeles and came back 
with help to rescue those remaining alive. 

What do the troubles of the Donner Party tell us as to the 
climate of the high mountains? 

In the late fall of 1850 a party of emigrants reached what we 
now know as Donner Lake, high on the eastern slope of the Sierra 
Xevada Mountains. Their farther progress was blocked by cold 
and snow and so they made a permanent camp, hoping to be res- 
cued or that they might live through the winter until spring. Fifty 
miles more and they would have reached the sunn}- valley of Cali- 
fornia where snow and cold were unknown. Their food gave out 
and before rescuers reached them many had perished. 

Thus we learn that on the high mountains of California, within 
a few miles of where oranges are hanging on the trees, there is an 
almost Arctic climate. 

To be caught unprepared in the cold and snow of the mountains 
is almost as dangerous as to attempt to cross the deserts of the 
Great Basin without first learning where the springs of water are. 

Although the mountains formed a serious barrier to the early 
settlers, yet they have such an important influence upon 
the climate that without them California could never have 
become a rich garden. 

1. The mountains give variety to the climate and productions: 

We have already learned that the high mountains of California have 
a cold Arctic climate, while the valleys at their base are almost 
tropical. Part way up the slopes the climate is neither hot nor cold 
and is the most healthful and delightful in all the world. 

In ascending the mountains we pass through all the different 
kinds of climate which we would in the long journey from Southern 
California to Alaska. The many sorts of climate enable us to grow 
a wonderful variety of products. 

2. Because the mountains cut off the cool ocean winds the 
interior valleys are very warm: On the coast there is but little 
difference in the temperature between summer and winter. The 
farther we go from the ocean and the more mountains we cross 
the hotter the valleys become in summer and colder in winter. This 
also adds to the variety of products which can be grown in Cali- 
fornia. Man}- plants do not thrive near the coast, while they do well 
in the interior. 

3. The mountains take so much rain from the clouds that the 
far interior valleys are deserts : The mountains affect the rainfall 
as well as the temperature of the air. There would, perhaps, be 
no deserts if the mountains lay parallel with the direction of the 
winds and storms instead of across it. 



CALIFORNIA 



37 




A mountain lake of glacial origin on the head of the South Fork 
of the Merced River. 

The deserts are, however, not waste and useless land. Where 
water can be obtained for irrigation they produce abundantly. 

4. The mountains add much to the yearly rainfall: AA'^e have 
doubtless all discovered that storms are heavier on the mountains 
than in the valleys. The cold air of the high lands changes to rain 
or snow water particles which, if it were not for the mountains, 
would float on easterly and give little or no rain. 

The mountains, then, add greatly to the rain or snowfall and 
this in turn supplies the streams whose waters are so much needed 
for irrigation in the lower valleys. 

5. More rain falls on the western than on the eastern slopes 
of the mountains: Since the storms come from the ocean the west- 
ern slopes of the mountains receive the most rain. This is a for- 
tunate thing, as the western slopes of nearly all the ranges are long 
and gentle, affording much more land suitable for farming than the 
eastern slopes. 

6. If there were no mountains a large part of California would 
be an . uninhabitable desert: Just how important our mountains are 
we learn most clearly from a study of Southern and Eastern Cali- 
fornia. The rain and snowfall upon the higher mountains of this 
region is very heavy, and numerous permanent streams fed by springs 
and melting snows flow down their slopes. 

The rainfall in many of the valleys is so small that most crops 
do not grow well without irrigation. If it were not for the moun- 



38 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

tain streams we would find in place of the hundreds of square 
miles of luxuriant gardens and orchards only the uncultivated des- 
ert wastes. 

SUMMARY. 

The journey to California either by water or land, was long 
and dangerous. The explorers and pioneers endured great hard- 
ships in opening new trails through a vast unknown land of deserts 
and mountains. There were four main overland trails whose routes 
were determined by the mountain passes, the springs and forage 
for stock. 

The early navigators had difficulty in exploring the California 
coast. The land traveler was equally hindered by the fact that the 
mountains came close to the ocean. The coast has, however, not 
always offered the present obstacles. The land has been moving 
up and down and was once so much higher than now that most of 
the present islands, which rise from a submerged plateau, formed 
a part of the mainland. 

The two main routes to the mines were the Great Salt Lake 
trail, used by those who crossed the continent, and the Sacramento 
River, used by those who came by water and landed at San Fran- 
cisco. Nature had made it so difficult to reach the mines by other 
routes that few attempted them. 

As a result of the presence of many lofty mountains, the posi- 
tion and direction of these mountains, and the fact that the winds 
and storms generally come from the ocean, California has a more 
varied climate than any other land of equal size. 

The climate has been an important factor in the development 
of the state. The long, dry summers made irrigation necessary in 
many parts, and as soon as its advantages were understood luxuri- 
ant gardens spread over the valleys which Nature had left so dry 
and desert-like. 

REVIEW QUESTIONS. 

Why is exploration of the desert particularly dangerous? 
What difficulties are met with in exploring in the mountains? 
Read and tell the story of General Fremont's journey in mid-winter 

across the Sierra Nevadas. 
Why do trails and wagon roads use mountain passes? 
Describe the route of the Great Salt Lake trail. 
In what way was the Santa Fe trail more difficult? 
Why is the entrance to San Francisco Bay difficult to discover 

from the ocean? 
Why is the bottom of the ocean so much smoother than the land? 
What parts of California would be flooded if the land should sink 

one thousand feet? 
Using the relief map, make a sketch of the California coast when 

the land stood one thousand feet higher than now. 
Describe some delta that you have seen. 



CALIFORNIA 39 

Describe a journey from Los Angeles to Bakersfield. 

Why was it so difficult to reach California from Oregon? 

Tell from your own observations if the rains always fall when the 

garden needs them. 
What are some of the advantages of irrigation? 
Mention some of the differences between the climate of California 

and that of the Eastern States. 
Tell what you can about the climate of the mountains of California. 
Describe some desert that you have seen or read about. 
Tell what you can about a ''cloudburst." 

How do people manage to live in the desert where there is no water? 
Tell how the sky changes as a storm approaches. 
What is the difference between fog and clouds? 
What time of the year is there the most fog on the coast? 
Is there any fog in the interior valleys, and when? 
In what general direction do the California mountains extend? 
How would the climate of Death Valley change if there were no 

high mountains between it and the ocean? 
Where are the highest mountains in California? 
If the highest mountains were, near the coast, what would be the 

effect on the climate of the Great Valley? 
If the winds blew from the land, would there be any oranges raised 

in Northern California? 
What part of California receives the most rain? What the least? 

Describe the vegetation in each of these places. 
Describe some dust whirl that you have seen. 
What is meant by the "equator"? And point out on a globe the 

position of California with reference to it. 
Describe some stream basin that you have seen. 
How does the Great Basin differ from a stream basin? 
What becomes of the water that is flowing into lakes without outlet? 
In what part of California do oranges grow at the foot of snow- 
capped mountains? 
Mention dift'erent ways in which mountains affect the climate of 

your home. 
How does the ocean affect the climate where you live? 

PRACTICAL LESSONS. 

It is dangerous to depend upon a map which is not correct. 

A coast with few bays is more difficult to explore than one with 

many bays and islands. 
A new land is more easily reached if there are waterAvays leading 

to it than if the journey has to be made by land. 
Deserts, lofty snow-covered mountains and dense forest jungles 

form the greatest obstacles to travel. 
The shore line is not always the true edge of a continent. 
One is much surer of raising a crop if he depends upon irrigation 

than if he depends upon irregular rains. 



40 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



A land over which the ocean winds blow has a more even climate 

than one where the winds blow from the land to the ocean. 
A mountainous land has a much more varied climate than a level land. 
True basins are found only in those lands where little rain falls. 
Nearly all deserts receive some rain and contain plants and animals. 




Oak forest in the Coast Ranges south of San Francisco, 
ground at Crystal Springs. 



Camp 



CHAPTER III. 

Topic L — The Natural Resources of Our 
California Garden. 

Introduction. 

By Natural Resources we mean the soil, the minerals, the for- 
ests, the water and the animal and bird life. We mean, in other 
words, those gifts of Nature which make it possible for the people 
of a country to become rich and prosperous. 

The land was filled with wild animals and birds. 

When the pioneers came they found California filled with a 
great variety of wild animals and birds. Now the larger animals 
have become so scarce that most of us have never seen them in 
their homes. 

The grizzly bears have gone from the thickets where they used 
to be so abundant and no wild ones are known to exist in the state 
today. To see even a brown bear we have to go into the remoter 
parts of the mountains. 

The antelopes no longer roam the valleys where the early set- 
tlers saw them in countless numbers. At the present time only one 
small band remains in western Fresno County. 

The elk were once abundant over much of the state. A few 
still roam the wilder parts of the Northern Coast Ranges, while a 
partly domesticated band has been protected in the hills west of 
Bakersfield. 

In the Spanish days the deer were ver}- thick and were easier 
to approach than the range cattle. The deer are still found in the 
mountains, but their numbers, except in the National Parks, where 
they are protected, are decreasing- year by year. 

There are many predatory animals, such as the mountain lion, 
wildcat, coyote, fox, coon, etc. The mountain lion is one of the 
worse enemies of the deer and young' stock and a bounty has been 
placed upon its head. 

The coyote kills many young stock, but is too cunning to be 
exterminated. Since its numbers have been reduced, the jack rab- 
bits and ground scjuirrels have become numerous and very destruc- 
tive to crops. 

Wild geese and ducks once stopped in California in such count- 
less thousands during their migrations that it was thought hunters 
would never reduce their numbers. Although they are numerous 
still, especially in the Sacramento Valley, where they are attracted 
by the rice fields, they must be protected or they will eventually 
become extinct. 

Most of the game birds, song birds and shore birds are still with 
us, and are- so well protected by law that we shall not lose them. 

A few thousand years ago California was inhabited by many 
stransfe animals and birds different from anv living here now. Some 



42 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

of the animals were huge and fierce, like those of the tropic jun- 
gles in distant parts of the world. 

We should never have known much about these if it had not 
been for a group of tar springs near Los Angeles. The animals used 
to come to these springs long ago to taste the salty and alkaline 
water. Many of them fell into the sticky tar and died. The tar 
preserved the bones and now thousands of skeletons have been dug 
out, many of them in an almost perfect condition. 

Among the animals that have been found are the elephant, 
mastodon, camel, llama, tapir, buffalo, lion, tiger, and rhinoceros, 
besides many smaller ones, and some birds. 

Our forests are unequaled in all the world. 

Every one has seen or read about the "Big Trees" of the 
Sierras and the redwoods of the Coast Ranges. But these are only 
two of the many kinds of cone-bearing trees forming the magnifi- 
cent forests of California. Among our important trees are the sugar 
pine, yellow pine, spruce, fir, and cedar. Forests cover all the moun- 
tain slopes except the higher ones, where it is too cold, and the 
lower ones, where it is too dry. 

There are two main arms of the forest belt. One covers the 
Sierra Nevadas, the other the Coast Ranges north of Santa Cruz. 
The two arms unite in Shasta County and extend through Oregon 
and Washington into the iajr north. 

The lower mountains and valleys, where there is rain enough, 
are covered with a scattered growth of beautiful oaks of different 
kinds. The oaks give the valleys a park-like appearance. 

The wild flowers are remarkable for their variety and brilliancy. 
The unplowed valleys are covered in spring with flowers of many 
colors. Most prominent among these is the orange poppy, the 
state flower. 

Why is it that California has such a variety of plant and 
animal Hfe? 

1. California lies between very warm and very cold lands: We 

have learned that Northwestern California has a very heavy rain- 
fall and a dense vegetation, and that the southeastern part is a 
desert, because it has so little rain. We have also learned that the 
coast climate is mild, both winter and summer; that the interior 
valleys are hot in the summer, and that the higher we go on the 
mountains the colder it becomes. 

The greater part of California has the climate of the warm tem- 
perate belt. By this we mean that it is neither too hot nor too cold, 
but that the temperature and rainfall are suited to the most com- 
fortable, healthful life and the growing of the greatest variety of 
products. 

2. California stretches for many hundred miles along the Pa- 
cific Ocean: The length of California is about three times its width, 
and it stretches from northwest to southeast through ten degrees 



CALIFORNIA 



43 



of latitude. Because it is so long from north to south we should 
expect the climate of the north to be much colder than that of the 
south, but in reality there is little difference. 

3. The prevailing winds blow from off the ocean: The mild 
climate of California is due to the fact that the prevailing winds 
blow off the ocean. The ocean changes very little in temperature 
throughout the year, and therefore the winds which blow from it 
have a^ mild and uniform temperature. The cool Japan Current 
which flows southerly along the coast warms very slowly, so that 
the average temperature at San Diego is only little above that at 
Eureka. 

Because California lies lengthwise to the ocean, a larger part 
is affected by the ocean winds than if it were narrow on the sea 
and long from east to west. The many mountain barriers, however, 
which the winds encounter make their influence felt a much less dis- 
tance inland than it otherwise would be. 

If the winds blew from the land toward the ocean, as the pre- 
vailing winds do in the Eastern States, we should have a climate 
hot in summer and cold in winter. We should have a continental 
climate instead of a sea-coast climate. 

4. California has a varied surface: There are valleys like the 
Sacramento - San Joaquin, so large that we might truly call them 
plains, where an abundance of water produces a luxuriant vegeta- 
tion. There are desert plains which for lack of water must always 
remain barren. 

There are gentle hill slopes, inclosing thousands of beautiful val- 




A party of teachers on the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest land in 
the United States outside of Alaska. 



44 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

leys blest with everything" that Xature has to offer. There are 
coastal plains and mesas with a character of their OAvn. 

There are steep hills and mountain slopes, the home of our 
magnificent forests. There are mountain valleys, plateaus and table 
lands suited either for pastures or farms. There are high mountain 
valleys where it is so cold that only grasses will grow. 

Over all, bare rocks and picturesque crags rise thousands of 
feet in a clear, cold, arctic region with an arctic climate. 

5. California has the highest land in the United States outside 
of Alaska: IMount AA^hitney, the highest peak of the Sierra Nevada 
Mountains, rises 14,502 feet above the sea. There are many other 
peaks almost as lofty. At this great height only a few stunted arc- 
tic plants are found. 

6. California has the lowest land in the United States: From 
the top of Mount AVhitney, the highest land, we can almost look 
into Death Valley, the lowest and hottest land in our country. This 
valley is 276 feet below the level of the sea. Only one other desert 
in the Avorld is lower and that is the A'allcy of the Dead Sea in 
Palestine. 

Far to the south of Death Valley lies the Colorado Desert, the 
lowest part of which is known as the Salton Sink, 260 feet below 
the sea level. This sink, which was once occupied by a salt marsh, 
has been flooded by an overflow from the Colorado River and is 
now a large lake. 

The heat of these deserts which lie below the level of the sea 
is almost unbearable in the summer and many people have perished 
attempting to cross them at that season. 

7. California has many kinds of rich soil: The soil comes in 
the first place from the crumbling of the rocks. There are so many 
kinds of rocks in our state that we should expect to find many kinds 
of soil. Among" these we may mention red volcanic soil, sandy gran- 
ite soil, sandy loam and heavy clay or adobe soil. 

There is the soil formed directly from the crumbling" rocks on 
the hill and mountain sides. There is the soil in the valle3"s which 
has been washed from the steeper slopes and is deeper and richer. 
There is the soil of the deltas of inexhaustible fertility. There is 
the soil formed on Avhat w^as once the bed of the ocean or of dried 
up lakes which often contains much salt, soda and other alkalies. 

How has the distribution of the rainfall and vegetation influ- 
enced the settlement of Cahfornia? 

The early Spanish ranchers came from Mexico, where they were 
dependent upon irrigation to raise their crops. That count'ry has 
few trees and they lived in homes made of "adobe" bricks or stone. 

These people felt at home in the drier valleys of California, not 
minding- the absence of trees if there were only water for irrigation. 

The emigrants from the East were accustomed to summer rains 
and to homes built of logs or lumber. They distrusted the trcelesS: 
parts of California and settled for the most part in the northern val- 
ie\'S \\-here there was niorc rain and timber. Tt was not nccessar\' 



CALIFORNIA 



45 



for them, however, to clear the forests, as their ancestors had done 
in the East, for there was an abundance of open land. 

How the distribution of vegetation affected the industries. 

The hilly and mountainous part of the state outside the main 
forest belt was found to ofifer the best pasturage for cattle. For 
man^^ years the Coast Range region was one vast cattle range, for 
it is well supplied with wild grasses and other forage plants. 

Sheep were ranged in great bands all over the state from the 
forest regions to the deserts and from the valleys to the summits 

of the mountains. 
After a time it was 
found that the sheep 
were doing great in- 
jury to the young 
trees and destroying 
the protecting" cover 
of the soil so that 
it began to wash. 
Now their ranges 
are much restricted. 

Dairying first be- 
came important in 
the cool, moist val- 
leys of the Coast 
Region where the 
grasses remain green 
longest. The moun- 
tain valleys were 
also valued by the 
dairymen, for there 
the meadows were 
green all summer 
and the cool air is 
favorable to butter 
making. 

There are now 
many dairies in the 
warm, dry valleys 
\yhere alfalfa is kept 
green by irrigation 
and the air of the 
d a i r y - h o u s e s is 
cooled with ice. 

The grain farm- 
er sought the great 
open valleys where 
u.' (lid not have to 




A forest of white fir on the slope of Mt. Shasta. ' 



46 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

do any clearing of the land and he could plow furrows miles in 
length. 

The first saw-mills were built in the Coast Ranges where boats 
could carry the lumber to San Francisco, and in the Sierras at 
points near the mines. For a long time there were few roads and 
the mountain streams were generally too rocky and swift to float the 
logs down to the valleys, and so it was only the easily accessible 
timber that was cut. 

Saw-mills have now been built far back in the mountains. Rail- 
roads bring the logs to the mills, and flumes float the lumber down 
to shipping points in the valleys. 

Has mining or farming helped most to build up California 
as a land of pleasant homes and gardens? 

Most of the pioneers came expecting to get rich quickly and 
then go back to their old homes in the East. Having no idea of 
staying in this far-away land they put up cheap and temporary 
habitations. 

The mining settlements changed from month to month. As soon 
as the placers in the vicinity of any town were worked out, most 
of the people moved away to other places. 

Many of the old-time mining towns have completely disap- 
peared. We find everywhere tumbled-down houses and stone chim- 
neys standing alone. The population of the foothill counties of the 
gold belt, although now increasing, is still much less than it was 
during the mining excitement fifty years ago. 

In the search for gold the value of the soil was not thought of. 
Thousands of acres of rich bottom land along the streams were 
turned upside down and left a mass of barren boulders. 

Finally the importance of mining became less and that of agri- 
culture increased. The wonderful richness of the soil and the health- 
ful and agreeable climate led more and more of the new-comers to 
take up farming and make their homes in the new land. 

The miner and lumberman go to a new country with a different 
purpose from that of the farmer. They expect to remain only so 
long as there are minerals in the ground or trees to be cut. The 
farmer builds a permanent home and surrounds himself with as 
many comforts as he can, for he expects to remain. The farmer 
tries to improve the fertility of the soil, instead of robbing it of its 
plant food, for his living depends upon it. 

Although mining has been, and still is, the source of much of 
our wealth, yet it is not such a lasting industry as farming. It does 
not leave the country permanently richer as farming does. 

What are the most important minerals found in California? 

For many years California was known only as the "Land of 
Gold." Finally many other valuable minerals were discovered and 
now the production of petroleum is so great that we might truly 
i-all it the Land of Oil. 



CALIFORNIA 



47 



There are several methods by which gold is obtained. The first 
used is the simplest. It required only a pick and shovel, a few 
pieces of board, some nails and quicksilver. This method is called 
"placer mining." 

Most of the gold was found on the "bedrock," at the bottom of 
the stream beds. To get it the top gravel was shoveled off and that 
at the bottom put through a rocker or sluice and the gold which it 
contained was collected by the aid of quicksilver. 

After a time gold was found at the bottom of very thick beds 
of gravel which formed the channels of streams that flowed long 
ago. This gold was too deep to be reached with pick and shovel 
and so the miners made use of water. They brought it in pipes 
under great pressure and turned it against the banks of gravel. The 
stream was larger and more powerful than that from a fire engine 
and rapidly washed away the gravel so that the gold could be ob- 
tained. This process is called hydraulic mining. 

Last of all came quartz mining, by means of which most of the 
gold is now gotten from the earth. The miners traced the gold 
found in the placers back to its original home in veins of quartz ex- 
tending through the rocks. To reach this gold shafts have to be 
sunk or tunnels run into the hillsides. Some of them extend nearly 
a mile into the earth. 

When gold became more difficult to find, other minerals were 
sought for. Through nearly all the mountains of Eastern California 
veins of silver and lead were discovered. Great beds of copper ore 
were found in many places, particularly in Shasta County. Here 
also are beds of iron. In the Coast Ranges valuable quicksilver de- 




In the Kern River oil fields. 



48 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

posits have l)ccn worked for many years. A'aluable deposits of salt, 
soda and borax occupy the beds of the dried-up lakes in the deserts. 

How is it that California has so little coal, but such vakiable 
deposits of petroleum? 

The story of coal is not at all like that of petroleum. AYhere 
we find beds of coal there were once marshes and swamps in which 
vegetation grew rankly. The decaying leaves and stems collected 
in thick layers, which after a time were deeply buried in the earth 
and there changed to coal. California has but little coal and that 
not of the best quality. 

Petroleum comes from bodies of minute sea animals and plants 
M^hich collected on the bottom of the ancient ocean once covering 
Western California. When after a long time the beds containing 
these bodies had been turned to rock, they were lifted above the 
ocean to form dry land. 

Then, when prospectors found springs of gas and oil issuing 
from these rocks, they drilled deep holes in the earth nearby and 
struck the deposits of these valuable substances buried far beneath 
the surface. 

Petroleum, or oil, as it is commonly called, is obtained at many 
points in the Coast Ranges, along the borders of the San Joaquin 
Valley, and in Southern California. It now forms the most impor- 
tant mineral product of the state. Single wells have produced as 
much as- fifty thousand barrels of oil in a day. 

What effect did the discovery of oil have on manufacturing? 

The growth of manufacturing in California has been slow. One 
of the chief reasons for this is the lack of cheap coal of good quality. 
Most of the coal used had to be brought a long distance either by 
ship or railroad. This made the price so high that it was difficult 
to carry on many kinds of manufacturing and compete with the 
Eastern States, where coal and labor were cheaper. 

The discovery of vast deposits of oil suitable for fuel has made 
a great change. Oil has replaced coal in engines of all kinds be- 
cause it is cheap and can be used for nearly every purpose where 
coal is used. 

Topic II. — The Natural Resources of Our California Garden 

Are Very Rich, But They Will Not Last Unless 

We Take Care of Them. 

Introduction. 

California is becoming one of the most important states in the 
Union because of its great area and the richness and variety of its 
resources. We must, however, learn to use these gifts more wisely 
than we have been doing. We have cut and burned the forests ; 
we have overstocked the slopes, causing the soil to wash away, and 
we have almost exterminated some of the useful animals and birds. 
We have done these things not thinking of what the results will be. 




Beach Scene — Southern Cahfornia 



CALIFORNIA 49 

We shall have to learn to do differently or Nature will punish us, 
as she has punished people of other parts of the world who have 
wasted their resources. 

What do we mean by Conservation, and why is it of special 
importance to California? 

By Conservation we mean the careful use of our natural re- 
sources so that they will remain as rich and abundant for our chil- 
dren as they are for us. 

Conservation is especiall}'- important in California because of the 
long rainless summers, which make it necessary to save the water, 
to guard against forest fires and protect the surface from being 
washed by the rains. 

The need of water in the summer. 

We know that when it rains the water runs away quickly from 
bare, rocky slopes and almost as quickly from hard, bare ground. 
Where there is soft earth covering the rocks a part of the rain- 
water sinks in and less runs away. If the surface is covered with 
a growth of bushes and trees a still smaller amount of water runs 
away, for the decaying leaves and branches form a carpet over the 
surface like a sponge. This decaying vegetation we call humus. 
The water which the humus holds finally sinks down into the crev- 
ices in the rocks and feeds the springs. 

The high mountains are the homes of the heaviest storms. The 
amount of rain or snow that falls upon them is much greater than 
that which falls in the valleys. 

If we would have water for summer use we must leave these 
mountain slopes undisturbed. We must see that the forests are not 
cut away. W^e must see that the meadows are not destroyed by cattle 
and sheep. We must take care in plowing and cultivating the soil 
that we leave it in such shape that it does not wash during the win- 
ter storms, or our country will become dry and barren. 

What is the result of the careless treatment of the surface 
of our California Garden? 

1. The rains wash the soil from pastures where there are too 
many cattle: In our walks over the hills we have seen here and 
there how the rain-water is cutting deep gullies in the soil. Some 
of the gullies start in old roads and trails. Many others appear in 
the pasture lands where there are so many cattle that the grass is 
eaten into the ground and the surface tramped hard. The destruc- 
tion of the grass permits the water to get at the soil and it soon 
begins to cut channels which grow larger with every rain. The 
muddy torrents which we see during a heavy storm tell us that the 
soil is being carried away. 

2. Careless farming of the hillsides causes loss of the soil: 
When we clear the trees and bushes away and plow the hillsides 
we must use care to keep the soil from washing. We should either 



50 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



keep the surface loose so that the water will soak in or grow sonic 
crop upon it Avhich will prevent the water from carrying away the 
soil. 

It would be better if we left the steeper hillsides covered with 
the protecting plants which Nature placed there. 

3. The earth washed from the slopes fills up the streams and 
bays: When too much sand and mud are washed into the streams 
they cannot carry it all away and their channels begin to fill up; 
we can learn this from any little torrent formed during a rain. When 
the channels become filled the waters overflow their banks and wash 
mud and sand onto the adjoining fields. 

Navigation of the Sacramento River is more difficult than it 
used to be because of the earth washed into it from the hydraulic 
mines. 

Many little arms of San Francisco Bay are slowly being filled 
by the mud brought down by the streams that enter them. 

Some of the small bays along the coast have been nearly filled 
in this manner since the state was settled. Morro Bay is a good 
example. 

What is the final result of wasting the soil? 

The loss of soil finally changes a fruitful land into one which 
is barren and desert-like. When the vegetation- which once clothed 
the surface has been destroyed, the soil is left unprotected. The 
water gathers in rivulets and runs away quickly, tearing out gullies. 
The ground dries and the springs become smaller. 

We can see all over California how water has been at work 
upon the soil. Our careless plowing", thoughtless waste of the for- 




Scene in the San Mateo hills south of San Francisco showing how the rain 
washes the soil when cattle kill the grass covering. 



CALIFORNIA 51 

ests and over-stocking of the ranges has not only injured the soil 
upon which the most of ns depend for a living, but has in some 
places decreased the summer water supply. 

Where are our forests mostly found? 

Our forests are found wherever there is an abundant rain or 
snow-fall and the climate is not too cold. If we study the rainfall 
map of California and trace the boundaries of that color which marks 
thirty inches or more rain we shall obtain a pretty good idea of 
where our forests lie. 

In the northern part of the state the lowlands receive thirty 
inches or more rain and are covered with forest trees. As we go 
south the rainfall in the valleys becomes less and we have to ascend 
the mountains to find a region where it rains enough to grow forests. 

In Shasta County the yellow pine, one of the most important 
of the lumber trees, grows as low as 1000 feet above the sea. When 
we have gone as far south as San Bernardino County we find that 
we have to climb up to an elevation of 5000 feet to reach the yel- 
low pine forests. 

The distribution of our forests is, therefore, determined by the 
rainfall. The rainfall is so small in the valleys of the southern half 
of the state that there would be no forests in this region if it were 
not for the lofty mountains. 

The value of our forests as sources of kimber and fuel. 

The forests of California are among its most important re- 
sources. If we use these forests with care we shall have not only 
enough for ourselves and our children, but to sell to the people of 
other countries. 

The waste in our forests from fire and careless cutting amounts 
to a very large sum every year. We waste more than we use. If 
we could only see how people in many other parts of the world 
suffer from the lack of both fuel and material for building their 
homes, we would appreciate more the wealth which we have in our 
forests. 

How our forests protect the soil and aid in holding back the 
rainwater for summer use. 

1. Roots hold the soil so that it does not easily wash away: 
If you'will examine any bank by the side of a road or along a stream 
you will find that the roots of the trees and smaller plants form a 
perfect network for perhaps two feet downward from the surface. 
In some places you will see that the earth beneath the root layer 
has crumbled and fallen away, leaving the top overhanging. This 
shows how strongly the roots protect the surface. In places where 
there is no vegetation at the top of the bank you will notice that 
it is no longer steep, for the top has washed away. 

2. The leaf mold and humus aid in holding the water: If dur- 
ing a rain you will walk out into the open fields and then into the 
woods, vou will see that there is much less water running down the 



52 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



slopes in the woods than there is in the open fields. The water that 
does run away from the wooded slopes is clear, while that which 
runs off of the cultivated lands is muddy. The layer of decaying 
wood and leaves lying under the trees takes up the water like a 
sponge. 

3. Where there are forests the flow of the springs is larger and 
more even: If we will go into the hills we shall see that the streams 
start in little springs at the head of small ravines. These springs 
are fed by the water which seeps down through the crevices in the 
rocks from the layer of humus and soft earth spread over the surface. 

Where there is little rain, as in the desert, there is only a small 
amount of humus and soil over the rocks. When the rain comes the 
water runs quickly off and gathers in torrents in the cations. There 
are few springs in the mountains of the desert partly because there 
is so little covering over the rocks, 

4. If the mountain slopes are left as Nature made them, the 
danger of floods is less and the flow of the streams is more even: 
We suffer from floods in the winter and early spring in nearly all 
parts of the state. These floods have their start in the mountains 
where the slopes are steep and the storms heavy. Anything which 
disturbs the surface so that the water will run away more quickly 
will make the floods worse and leave less water for summer use. 
The more perfect the sponge-like covering which the forest helps 
to form, the less danger there is of sudden flood. 

We should, then, use every care in the management of our moun- 
tains. We should take care of the forests that we may always have 




What the water has done to the soil in Southern California where the 
protecting bushes have been killed. 



CALIFORNIA S3 

lumber and fuel. We should see that the layer of humus, or leaf 
mold, is not destroyed through the stripping off of the forests or 
pasturing the slopes too closely. The time may come when, if we 
are careless, as people have been in other countries, our California 
garden will be poor and barren. 

What has happened in other countries where the forests have 
been destroyed? 

We will take an imaginary journey to some far-away countries 
on the other side of the world and see how poor the people are in 
many places. We will visit Spain, Italy, Palestine and China. The 
people in these lands have been cutting down their trees for thou- 
sands of years regardless of the troubles which they were bringing 
upon themselves. Their forests are nearly gone and the best of the 
soil has been washed from the slopes, which are gullied and torn ; 
and the valley lands have been injured by the mud, sand and boul- 
ders which the floods have left upon them. 

Fuel is so high in price and so scarce that it cannot be used 
to keep the homes warm in winter, but only for the needs of cook- 
ing. Women and children have to wander miles gathering twigs 
and small brush which they bring home on their backs. 

The value of our mountain forests as parks for. summer rec- 
reation. 

No other part of the world has a finer climate than the moun- 
tains of California. There are many months of beautiful weather. 
The air is warm, but not too warm. There is an abundance of pure 
water and magnificent scenery. In the shady forests of these re- 
gions are the most delightful summer camp grounds. 

The map shows what a large area in California our Government 
has included in the National Forests and reserved from sale. These 
are free for us to camp in if we are careful about fire. 

There are in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in addition to the 
National Forests, the Yosemite, Sequoia and General Grant National 
Parks where no trees can be cut nor wild game killed. 

In the Coast Ranges we have Sempervirens Park and Muir 
Woods, and other beautiful camp grounds where the primeval for- 
ests will be left as Nature made them. 

If it were not for the forests our mountains would be without 
much of their present attractiveness and we would not care to spend 
our vacations in them. 

We m^ay say, then, that for the encouragement of healthful out- 
door life, if for nothing else, large areas of our forests should be left 
in their wild beauty. To the many thousands of people who go into 
the mountains in the summer, the forests are of far more value than 
if they were cut down and made into lumber. 

The value of the trees as homes for the birds. 

Many kinds of birds use the trees for nesting places. If most 
of the trees were cut down the birds would leave us. Although a 



54 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



few birds are destructive, almost all of them do far more good than 
harm. They eat large numbers of insects which injure our fruit 
trees and gardens. Besides this, the birds make beautiful music 
which we should miss sadly if they were gone. 

The wild life of our State. 

1. Shall we permit the wild animals to be exterminated? There 
are many wild animals, such as the deer, antelope, elk and mountain 
sheep, which do no harm, while they add much to the pleasure of 
out-door life. Laws have been passed to protect these animals and 
we should see that they are strictly enforced. 

The numbers of the predatory animals, among which are the 
California lion or cougar, the coyote, wildcat, besides other smaller 
ones, can be easily kept down by hunting, so they can do little harm. 

In order to prevent the extinction of wild life still remaining, 
the National Parks have been made game preserves. No guns arc 
allowed in them and the animals live their natural lives without 
fear from men. 

The wild life has been further protected by the establishing of 
closed seasons. Deer, for example, can be hunted only two months 
in the year, and the number that can be killed by one person is lim- 
ited to two bucks. 

The fish of the streams, lakes and ocean are an important source 
of food, but because of the selfish and destructive methods employed 
by many fishermen laws have been made governing the time and 
manner in which fish may be taken. 




The effect of fires on the forests at the head of Tejunga River, San 
Gabriel Mountains, Southern California. 



CALIFORNIA 



00 



The great value of bird life. 

Because of the thoughtless, selfish and cruel treatment which 
many people give the birds, it has been found necessary to protect 
them also, by very strict laws, to prevent many species from being 
exterminated. 

Ducks, g'eese, quail and some others are known as game birds 
and are hunted for food. Many of the water and shore birds have 
been hunted for their plumage. The owls, hawks and some of the 
song birds have been hunted because of the damage they were sup- 
posed to do. 

As a result of the examination of the crops of many different 
kinds of birds it has been learned what sort of food each takes. 
Many live almost wholly upon insects. Others live partly upon in- 
sects and partly upon fruit and grain. The birds destroy enormous 
quantities of insects which if left alive would do great damage to 
our fruit trees and gardens. Many even of the hawks and owls, 
which were once thought to be harmful, have been found to be very 
beneficial because of the mice, rats and other rodents that they 
destroy. 

We must not forget also how much pleasure Vv^e take in the 
companionship of the birds. The world would be less attractive 
without their music. 

We should take care also of our mineral resources. 

Nature was a very long time in making the veins of gold, sil- 
ver, copper, lead and quicksilver which we find in our state. In a 
few places where there are hot springs, these minerals are still being 
formed, but most of them were deposited long ago. AVhen we have 
dug out and used all that we can discover of these valuable sub- 
stances, we shall either have to do without or go elsewhere for them. 

It is in the oil fields that the most mineral waste occurs. Some- 
times wells cannot be controlled and large quantities of oil are lost. 
For many years the gas, that comes out of the earth with the oil, 
and is so valuable for lighting and heating purposes, was allowed to 
escape into the air. The loss has been more than we could calculate 
and can never be replaced. 

ToPTc III. — How the Growth of California Has Been Af- 
fected by the Character of Its Surface, Its 
Streams and Its Climate. 

There was little farming in the old Spanish days. 

Each mission and ranch had its own garden and grain fields, 
but these were only large enough to supply home needs. There was 
no market for any products of the soil. 

The vast herds of cattle and sheep which roamed the hills 
formed the wealth of the people. The climate was so mild and 
grasses so abundant that they required little attention except at 
branding time. 



56 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



The only parts of the animals that had any value were the hides, 
tallow and wool. These were shipped by occasional trading vessels 
which brought much prized luxuries in return. 

Travel was slow and difficult before the building of wagon- 
roads. 

Travel is now so easy between most parts of California that we 
do not realize how difficult the numerous mountain ranges made 
a long journey in the early da)^s. There were then no roads across 
the mountains which lay between the different valleys and travel 
had to be on foot or horseback, over rough paths or trails. Many 
of these were old Indian trails. The Indians on their part often 
made use of the trails of the wild animals which in their w^anderings 
naturally sought the easiest routes over the mountains. 

Trails are much more easily built than wagon roads and can 
be made where the mountains are too steep and rocky for roads. 
Even now they are the only means by which we can travel through 
the higher and more rugged mountains of California. Although 
trails seem ill suited to freighting, yet large quantities of goods are 
taken over them on pack horses or mules to remote mining settle- 
ments which can be reached in no other way. 

The "overland trails" were really wagon roads, although usually 
very rough and steep. The Camino Real, the name which we give 
to the great highway leading north from San Diego through the 
whole length of the Coast Ranges to Sonoma, was for many years 
merely a trail not suited for wagons. 




The destructive effect of avalanches in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains. 



CALIFORNIA 57 

There are two vast mountain regions in tlie state into which 
no roads have yet been built, and if you wish to see their wild 
and picturesque scenery you will have to go through them either a- 
foot or on horseback. 

So rugged are the Northern Coast Ranges that the first wagon 
road across them w^as not finished until 1914. This road runs from 
Eureka to Red Blufif. 

How did mountain passes make possible the settlement of 
California ? 

If you will look at a range of hills or mountains you will notice 
that its crest is very uneven. There are high points, called peaks, 
which are often very steep. Between the peaks you will see saddle- 
like depressions where the slopes are less steep and often easy to 
cross. Low places of this kind we call mountain passes, or simply 
passes. 

If there had been no passes in the lofty, rugged mountains Avhich 
shut off California from the East, or in those mountains which break 
up its surface into so many separate valleys, it would have been 
much more difficult to build wagon roads and railroads, and our 
state would have remained unsettled much longer. 

If there had been no gaps in the mountains separating South- 
ern from Northern California, there would probably have been two 
states instead of one. 

What are the mountain passes which proved of so much im- 
portance in the early days? 

If we were placed among the mountains of a land that was 
strange to us and our lives depended upon finding a way through 
them, we could then understand with what anxiety the pioneers 
hunted for passes through the mountain ranges that blocked their 
paths. 

The easiest and most direct route across the Sierra Nevada 
Mountains, although not the lowest, proved to be that by Donner 
Pass, and so most of the emigrants came that way. 

A little to the south of Donner Pass is Carson Pass, by which 
some of the pioneers came, and to the north is Beckwith Pass, which 
was used to some extent. Although the latter is one of the easiest 
passes in the Sierras, yet the rough mountains between it and the 
Sacramento Valley offered as great obstacles to the building of a 
Avagon road in the early days as they did later to the building of 
a railroad. 

The loAvest and easiest crossing of the Sierra Nevadas is Walker 
Pass, away to the south. This pass was named after a noted trapper 
and explorer. No emigrants came this way because of the vast Mo- 
have Desert on the east and the impassable canon of the Kern River 
on the west. 

The Santa Fe trail led, for the most part, through an open but 
desert country. At Fort Yuma it divided; one branch going north- 
west across the Colorado Desert and through the San Gorgonio 



58 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



Pass, and the other branch going west across the Peninsula Range 
to San Diego. The San Gorgonio Pass is a remarkable gateway be- 
tween two of the loftiest mountains of Southern California. The 
Peninsula Range is rugged, with no low passes. San Diego has 
recently been benefited by a railroad constructed along the border 
from San Diego to Yuma. 

The old Mormon Trail across Southern Nevada reached South- 
ern Cahfornia through the Cajon Pass. This route was but little 
used, for it did not lead to the mines. Although it is 4000 feet 
high, it forms a great gap between the San Bernardino and San 
Gabriel Ranges, two of the most difficult mountain ranges to cross 
in the south. 

How the railroads made use of the mountain passes. 

If there had been no mountain passes, the building of the over- 
land railroads would have 
been delayed for many 
years. Without the rail- 
roads the fruit and agricul- 
tural industries would not 
have developed because of 
the impossibility of sending 
their products to market. 

As we might expect, the 
first railroad to California 
was built through Donner 
Pass ; the one which the 
pioneers had found easiest 
and most direct. It is so 
high, however, that the 
snow falls very deep and 
lasts many months. In or- 
der that the trains may be 
kept running throughout the 
winter, it has been found 
necessary to build many 
miles of snowsheds. It is 
now proposed to tunnel the 
mountains and so escape the 
snow as well as the steep 
grade over the summit. 

Beckwith Pass is now 
used by the Western Pacific 
Railroad and has the ad- 
vantage of being much less 
snowy. 

Siskiyou Pass has been 
found to be the only prac- 
tical route for a railroad 
through the mountains to 
Oregon. Both of the passes. 




The new State Highway in Gaiviota Pass, 
Santa Barbara County. 



CALIFORNIA 



59 



giving access to San Bernardino Valley from the east, are used by 
railroads. The San Gorgonio is used by the Southern Pacific Rail- 
road and is the broadest and easiest pass leading to the Pacific 
Slope, for it is only 2000 feet high. 

The Cajon Pass is used by Santa Fe and Salt Lake Railroads 
and is of much more importance now than it was in the early days. 

How was the exploration of the Cahfornia region affected 
by the fact that there are few navigable streams? 

If we were exploring a new country in which there were no 
roads or even trails, we would find that if there were rivers and 
lakes upon which we could travel in boat or canoe we would make 
much better progress than if we had to make our way across the land. 

When we study the different trails to California, that were 
traveled in the early days, we see that none of them made any use 
of lakes or rivers. The early trappers ascended the Missouri and 
Yellowstone Rivers, but these do not lead in the direction of Cali- 
fornia. The Arkansas River was too shallow and swift. In some 
places the Snake and Columbia Rivers offered opportunity for the 
use of rafts or boats, but they were not on the route to California. 

The ocean, of course, off'ered an open highway to California. 
But for the people of the East the long sea voyage around Cape 
Horn, or the shorter one by the Isthmus of Panama, was more to 
be dreaded than the overland route. 

The only navigable water ways within the state are San Fran- 
cisco Bay and its branches, the short tidal streams entering these 
branches, the Sacramento River and its tributaries, and the San 
Joaquin River. These waterways made travel to the mines from 
San Francisco very easy, but are of no advantage to the most of 
the state. 

We can say in conclusion, then, that the settlement and growth 




Freighting on the desert before the time of the railroad. 



60 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

(:)f most of California has been much slower than it would have been 
had it possessed many deep bays, navigable rivers and lakes. 

Farming could not become an important industry until there 
was some means of getting produce to market. 

There would be no use in raising large quantities of fruit and 
vegetables if we had no means of shipping them where they were 
needed. 

Until the building of the railroads farming and fruit growing 
could not become an important industry. The home market re- 
quired but a small part of what the soil could be made to produce. 
The navigable streams emptying into San Francisco Bay reached 
only a short distance into the interior. Even the ocean could not 
be used for shipping perishable products because of the long time 
required to reach the eastern market. 

The lack of summer rains also delayed the development of 
farming. 

Stock raising continued for a long time to be the most impor- 
tant industry next to mining, partly because of a lack of market for 
produce and partly because large areas of the state which furnished 
wild forage suitable for cattle were thought to be too dry for cul- 
tivation. 

The open ranges finally, however, began to be fenced; farmers 
spread into the drier valleys and found that good crops of grain 
could be grown if the seed was put into the ground early enough 
to get the winter rains. But it was not until the advantages of irri- 
gation were understood that the desert valleys of Eastern and South- 
ern California were considered of any value. In these dry regions, 
under an almost cloudless sky, the farmers, by the aid of irrigation, 
have been able to build up comfortable homes surrounded with 
green fields and orchards. 

The period of the great grain ranches. 

In studying the growth of California, we find that as stock 
raising became less important, the production of wheat, barley and 
oats increased. The larger valleys throughout the whole length of 
the state, wherever the rainfall was sufficient, were turned from 
cattle ranges into vast grain fields. In the Sacramento and San 
Joaquin Valleys one could ride in the spring for many miles throug'h 
fields of waving wheat. 

The growing of grain is still an important industry, but many 
of the great ranches are being cut up into smaller ones where diver- 
sified farming is now carried on. 

The growing of grain did little more than cattle raising to fill 
our great valleys wdth comfortable homes. The grain ranches were 
large, like the stock ranches, and the homes were usually surrounded 
with few comforts because of the lack of water. 

Farm life in California did not begin to be attractive, as Nature 
intended it should be, until people learned how to preserve, and 



CALIFORNIA 61 

make use of water for irrigating the dry fields. The careful culti- 
vation of a small piece of land with the aid of water brings a better 
and surer living than the poor cultivation of a large piece and de- 
pendence upon chance rains. 

Irrigation has made farming the most important industry in 
California. 

The early emigrants from the East looked upon the long, dry 
summers as a great drawback to farming in California. We now 
know, however, that this was a mistake, for they are really an 
advantage. 

In the first place the lack of rain makes the hot climate of the- 
interior valleys much more healthful than it otherwise would be. 
In the second place it is a great advantage, as we have already 
learned, to be able to turn the water onto the fields just when they 
need it. It almost seems as if Nature had arranged purposely a 
supply of water at a time when there are no rains. She has placed 
high mountains all about the valleys. The heavy storms on their 
summits and the snowbanks which melt slowly furnish the water 
needed for summer use in the valleys. 

All the California farmer has to do is to build reservoirs and 
ditches and he can have water whenever he wishes it. 

California now ships farm produce to all the world. 

California offers everything to make farm life within its boun- 
dar}^ happy and prosperous; sunny skies, water for irrigation, and 
a world market. It has so many sorts of climate that everyone can 
find a place to suit and in which he can grow what he likes best. 
It has thousands of square miles of the richest soil in which will 
grow plants from all parts of the world except the tropics. 

All the markets of the world can now be reached from Califor- 
nia. Six lines of railroad connect it with the Eastern States. The 
water route through the Panama Canal now leads to the East and 
to Europe. About the shores of the Pacific Ocean upon Avhich Cali- 
fornia faces are half the countries of the world. 

California fruits are known all over our country .and in Europe. 
There is little danger of raising more than we can sell. The climate 
of half of our country is cold and the people in those parts are glad 
to get our semi-tropical fruits. Besides this we can supply them 
with other fruits and vegetables earher in the spring than they can 
raise them. 

Does our California garden yet produce all that it might? 

Although we raise immense quantities of fruits and vegetables 
both for home use and for export to other states and countries, yet 
only a small part of the fertile lands of California are carefully 
cultivated. 

We can travel for many miles in some of the larger valleys and 
see only a few well cultivated farms, where there might be thou- 
sands Avith comfortable and attractive homes. When the rich lands 



62 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

are all improved and the waters which now run useless to the sea 
are caught in reservoirs and turned on these lands, California will 
support many times its present population. 

How a great acqueduct brought water to Southern California. 

Stories of the ancient Roman Empire tell of great acqueducts 
built to supply the cities with water, but the greatest acqueduct of 
all tinie has been built in Southern California. Water is the single 
thing of importance which Nature has given sparingly to this region. 
As Los Angeles and the country about increased in population, it 
was seen that more water would soon be needed than could be sup- 
plied by the streams of the San Gabriel Mountains. 

To obtain more water the engineers turned to Owens River, 
far to the northward, beyond both the San Gabriel Mountains and 
the Mohave Desert. This river rises in the snowbanks and lakes 
of the highest part of the Sierra Nevada Alountains and is finally 
lost in Owens Lake. 

It is 260 miles from Los Angeles to the point in the river where 
it was decided to take out the water. The desert had to be crossed 
and tunnels several miles in length made through the San Gabriel 
Mountains. To prevent the loss of water the acqueduct was made 
of cement in the form of a huge tube. 

With the completion of this acqueduct, the greatest in the world, 
Southern California will support many more people than it other- 
wise could. 

Is there water enough to turn all our deserts into fruitful 
gardens ? 

We often think of a desert as being formed of sand and rocks, 
but this is only partly true. The most of the surface of our Cali- 
fornia deserts is formed of good soil which only needs water to pro- 
duce abundantly. The Colorado Desert, where once travelers some- 
times died of thirst, has been changed by the water brought from 
the Colorado River, into a luxuriant garden. 

In some of the desert valleys water is found by digging wells. 




Branding cattle on a desert range. 



CALIFORNIA 



63 



The lofty mountains along the western border of the Great Basin 
send down streams which supply a fringe of settlements, but the 
larger part of this desert region must remain a barren waste for 
lack of water. 

The advantages of country life in California. 

Country life in California has many attractions. The weather 
is pleasant most of the time and so mild that one can sleep out 
of doors throughout the whole year. Each of these three regions, 
the sea - shore, the park - like valleys, and the mountains, has its 
own charms. 

California is spending a large amount of money building state 
highways leading through the principal valleys with a branch to 
each county seat. Rural delivery of mail and the telephone, together 
with good schools, draw people to the country. 

The scenery and climate attract thousands of visitors yearly. 

The renown of our mild and healthful climate has gone every- 
wdiere. The climate and the wonderful mountain scenery attract 
people from all over the world. There is no scenery finer than that 
of the great volcanoes or the gorges of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 
The Yosemite Valley is the best knowm of these attractions. 

Cahfornia is well situated for trade and commerce with all 

the world. 

AVe see from the map that California occupies about one-half 
of the whole Pacific Coast of our country. The Great Bay of San 
Francisco lies a little south of the middle of this coast line. 




The Pinnacles, Monterey County, one of the smaller National Parks. 



64 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

San Francisco Bay receives the drainage and is the natural com- 
mercial center of about half of the state, San Pedro and San Diego 
Harbors form other important shipping points. The overland rail- 
roads connect with ocean steamers, opening trade and travel routes 
across the continent to all parts of the world. 

Topic IV. — California Has Such Wonderful Scenery that 
People Come from All Parts of Our Country to See It. 

Introduction. 

Nature is everywhere at work on the surface of the earth. The 
muddy rills on the hillside or by the road during a heavy rain teach 
us this fact. The rills carry away so much earth and cut such deep 
gullies that sometimes the roads become impassable. It is easy to 
understand that if Nature has time enough she can in this manner 
tear down the loftiest mountains. 

In some deserts the winds blow so fiercely over the surface 
that particles of dust and sand are picked up and carried to some 
distant region. In the north the ice which gathers on the slopes 
moves slowly downward, carrying away the loose earth and even 
grinding off the solid rocks. But it has taken more than water, 
wind and ice to make the grand scenery of California, although, as 
we shall learn later, these have all helped. 

Nature is also at work within the earth, and, although in some 
parts of the earth she does not seem to have done much in a long 
time, yet in our California region she has never taken a rest. 

She has built many of our lofty mountains by lifting up the 
solid earth. Whenever it breaks or slips a little we feel an earth- 
quake, and we say that our mountains are growing. 

Only a few of the earthquakes that have occurred since the 
Pacific Coast has been settled have done much injury, but little by 
little, through long ages, these earthquakes have made the highest 
mountains in our state. 

In addition to earthquake mountains, California has many vol- 
canic mountains which add much to its attractive scenery. North- 
eastern California is one vast lava field and the eruptions of Lassen 
Peak tell us that Nature is still at work. 

These are not the only ways in which our mountains have been 
made. Many great peaks stand out all alone because the rocks of 
which they are formed are hard and do not crumble easily like the 
rocks about them. These we sometimes call erosion mountains. 

In what way does the great earthquake of 1906 help us to 
understand the story of our mountains? 

The earthquake of 1906 was the most destructive one since Cali- 
fornia has been settled. One morning the earth suddenly broke and 
slipped along a fissure hundreds of miles in length, throwing down 
buildings and killing many people. 

This fissure or crack in the earth began on the north beneath 
the ocean and where it appeared on the land near Point Arena it 



CALIFORNIA 



65 




Upper Yosemite Fall. This gauzy waterfall is 
more than 1000 feet high. 



showed by the fences 
and roads that 
crossed it that the 
earth had sHpped 
sixteen feet. 

We can follow 
the line of the earth- 
quake by the broken 
ground, the hollows, 
and ridges for 400 
miles, to San Juan 
in San Benito Coun- 
ty. From here a 
line of fissures made 
by older earthquakes 
leads us on through 
the Coast Ranges, 
along the southern 
side of the Mohave 
Desert, over the San 
Gabriel Range to the 
A^alley of San Ber- 
nardino, and finally 
into the Colorado 
Desert, where we 
lose it. The total 
length of the great 
earthquake crack or 
iissurc is more than 
700 miles. It is the 
most remarkable 
thing of its kind in 
the whole w^orld. 

There are in 
places upon this fis- 
sure bluffs 200 to 
300 feet high made 
by the rising of the 
land upon one side 
during some ancient 
earthquake. These 
bluffs are miniature 
mountain slopes and 



tell us very clearly how some of our great mountain ranges, such as 
the Sierra Nevada, were made. 

What earthquakes have had to do with the making of our 
Cahfornia scenery. 

We must remember, in spite of the fact that earthquakes are 
really to be feared, for they sometimes do serious damage, that 



66 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

many of the things which make California such a rich and dehght- 
ful land are due to them. 

If there had been no earthquakes there would be few high 
mountains ; there would be little picturesque scenery, the rainfall 
would be so small toward the south that there would be no water 
for irrigation and the country would forever remain poor and 
thinly settled. 

Even the golden riches of California, which first drew the pio- 
neers, owe their presence in the rocks to fissures made by earth- 
quakes which happened long ago. 

The Sierra Nevada is our greatest range of earthquake moun- 
tains. It contains some of the finest scenery in all our country. 
It is covered with valuable forests and affords an abundance of 
water for irrigation. These mountains have been lifted along a 
fissure or crack until they now show a wonderful eastern wall more 
than two miles high. They are still growing, for in 1870 there 
occurred a severe earthquake in Owens Valley, where the earth 
slipped in places as much as fifty feet. 

The San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains are also due 
to earthquakes. Their grand scenery adds greatly to the attrac- 
tions of Southern California, and the water which they supply makes 
possible thousands of pleasant homes. 

Great volcanoes add much to the scenery of California. 

Mt. Shasta is a volcano and the grandest mountain in California, 
rising 14,380 feet above the ocean and standing all alone. It is 
white with snow most of the year and on the north side are large 
Sflaciers. 



What the great earthquake of 1906 did to the road near Pt. Reyes. The road 
was broken and the parts shoved past each other twelve feet. 



CALIFORNIA 



67 



'To understand how this mountain began and finally became so 
great, we will visit the Mt. Lassen region where Nature is starting 
anew her fires far beneath the surface. Here there are boiling 
springs, mud volcanoes, and a steaming lake, and not far away a 
cinder cone, lava flow, and ash almost as fresh as though formed 
yesterday. 

Far beneath the surface it is very hot. In those regions where 
the myths say that Vulcan is at work, it often becomes so hot that 
the rocks are melted and some of this liquid material is squeezed 
out through cracks in the earth, forming lava. Sometimes water 
flows down through the cracks to where it is hot and so much 
steam is suddenly formed that a violent explosion takes place. These 
explosions throw out clouds of steam, ashes, red hot lava, and be- 
tween the explosions there may be quiet flows of molten lava which 
spread over the surrounding country like a sheet. The ashes, cin- 
ders and coarse fragments gather round the crater and in time 
build up a cinder cone. This is the way Mt. Shasta started, but it 
did not always remain a cinder cone. Eruptions followed one an- 
other through thousands of years until the mighty mountain was 
at last built up. 

How water and ice have helped make our scenery attractive. 

Water is doing work all around us, as we can see every time it 
rains, for we can find its channels upon almost every hillside. Be- 
fore water could begin this work it was first necessary, however. 




Volcanic Bombs hurled out of Cinder Cone which rises on the right 
east of Mt. Lassen. 



68 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

to raise lofty mountain peaks and ridges, for without their high and 
steep slopes water and ice could have done little. 

As the mountains of California slowly grew into the great giants 
which they now are, the streams began to wash away the crumbling 
rocks and cut channels in them. Sharp, picturesque peaks appeared 
where the rocks were hard, and where they were soft valleys were 
formed. 

In places the streams cut deep, narrow channels which finally 
became the mighty cafions which make our mountain scenery so 
celebrated. In this way arose the wonderful canons of the Tuol- 
umne, Merced, Kings and Kern Rivers. Among these the Yosemite, 
formed by the Merced River, is the most renowned. 

Now, how could ice have had to do with the making of our 
scenery, since most of the state has such a mild climate? We would 
hardly expect ice to be of much importance where oranges hang 
in the open air all winter. 

We must not forget that the climate of the lofty mountains 
is very cold, and, besides, more snow fell upon them long ago than 
falls now. In fact, there was so much snow that much of it did 
not melt, but became hard and solid like ice. 

Streams of this ice moved slowly down from the high peaks 
and filled the cafions, but melted before reaching the warm lowland 
valleys. These streams of ice helped carve the mountains into pic- 
turesque shapes. They dug out many basins in which lie the beau- 
tiful lakes that reflect in their clear waters the granite cliffs above 
them. The lakes aid in holding back the water for summer use 
and their shores made pleasant camping places. 

At the present time only a few glaciers remain and these are 
found on the shady slopes of the Sierra Nevadas, Cascade Range, 
and Klamath Mountains. 

Nature has made many changes in California, and has not 
yet finished. 

We have learned that the mountains are slowly being worn 
down. We have learned also that Nature is making new ones by 
means of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. 

We have found sea shells high on the hills and far from the 
ocean, and we wonder how they came there. Must it not be that 
what is now dry land was once beneath the sea? 

Along the coast we find old beaches with pebbles on them hun- 
dreds of feet above the present sea. At Port Harford there are 
caves worn by the waves, but now many feet above their reach. 

All the bays have been made by the sinking of the land and 
the flooding of river valleys by the sea. The Sacramento River once 
flowed through the rich valley now occupied by San Francisco Bay 
and emptied into the ocean outside the Farallone Islands. 

Long ago the land sank so much that the valleys were flooded 
and the Coast Ranges changed into islands and peninsulas. At 
another time nearly all the islands along our coast formed a part 
of the mainland. 



CALIFORNIA 



69 



Topic V. — Some Thoughts on the Study of CaHfornia 

Geography. 

We have all kinds of climate, from the very cold to the very 
warm, and from the very wet to the very dry. We have mountains 
made by erosion of running water, earthquake mountains and vol- 
canoes, plains, valleys and canons with wonderful scenery. We 
have islands and bays and hundreds of beautiful lakes and water- 
falls. We raise almost every sort of product except those which 
grow only in the tropics, and our situation is such that a large part 
of the commerce of the Pacific Ocean must come to us. 

Why we should know our own State well 

It is important that we know our own state well, for the most 
of us will live here all our lives. For us this is the most impor- 
tant part of the whole world. We need to know our own state bet- 
ter than any other because this knowledge will be of advantage to 
us in every business we undertake. A good acquaintance with the 
region in which we live gives us a key with which we can unlock 
the geography of the whole world. 

Why the geography of our State includes so much that we 
ought to know: A review. 
1. California is of great extent: With the exception of Texas, 




The wonderfxol Buttes near San Luis Obispo. Brothers to Morro Rock. 
Carved out by erosion of the softer rocks around them. 



70 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

California is the largest state in the Union, containing", as it does, 
156,092 square miles. 

It is impossible for you to realize how large it is, and what a va- 
riety it contains, unless you travel across it from the deserts of the 
southeast over the snow-covered mountains and across the broad 
valleys to the dense forests of the northwest. 

2. California has many river basins, mountains, valleys, lakes, 
etc. : The surface of California is not as simple as that of most 
of the other states, but is so broken and varied and has so many 
sorts of climate and productions that it might form a whole coun- 
try independent of the rest of the world. 

Mountain ranges divide the state into distinct portions, each 
with its own climate and productions. 

Most of the streams flow into the Pacific Ocean, some sink in 
the deserts of the Great Basin, w^hile one empties into the Gulf of 
California. 

There are plains formed long ago beneath the ocean. There 
are great desert valleys which once held lakes ; there are countless 
valleys formed by running water, and there is the Great Valltsy 
with its vast plain-like surface. 

3. California has many kinds of climate because of: 

A. Extent from north to south : California extends over ten 
degrees of latitude, which, if it were not for other causes of which 
we have learned, would make the north very much colder than 
the south. 

B. Nearness to the Pacific Ocean: The temperature of the 
Japan drift changes but little from summer to winter. The winds 
which blow across it and the cold water near the shore and then 
over California make the climate of all the coast valleys milder and 
more even than it otherwise would be. 

C. The position of the mountains : The mountains lie across 
the path of the westerly winds which blow from the Pacific Ocean. 
The seaward slopes of the Coast Ranges are cooler and more moist 
than the landward slopes. 

The opening in these mountains at San Francisco Bay permits 
the sea winds to temper the heat of much of the Great Valley. The 
Los Angeles-San Bernardino Valley is open to the sea so that the 
cool fog-bearing winds reach far inland and cause the oranges to 
ripen later than in Northern California. 

The Sierra Nevada, San Gabriel, San Bernardino and Peninsula 
Mountains are so high that they form a barrier to the moist west- 
erly winds. Thus there is formed to the southeast of these moun- 
tains the driest and hottest deserts in the United States. 

D. The height of the mountains : The mountains have still 
another most important effect upon our climate. While oranges 
grow at their bases, their summits are- very cold. Between these two 
regions there is almost every sort of climate which one could wish. 

E. More frequent storms toward the north : The mountains 
are not the only cause for the deserts in Eastern and Southeastern 
California. The storms are far more frequent toward the north. In 



CALIFORNIA 



71 



Oregon and Washington the storms are more frequent and the rainy 
season is longer than in California. 

F. Summer thunder-storms partly make up for the lack of rain 
where the winter rains are light. These storms occur upon the 
deserts as well as the mountains of California, Nevada and Arizona. 
When the downpour is sudden and severe they are called cloud- 
bursts. The floods often do great damage to roads and railroads. 

4. California has a wonderful variety of natural products: Be- 
cause of all the things which have just been mentioned, we can 
grow in California a remarkable variety of fruit, garden and farm 
products. Each district has a climate of its own, and the chief 
product of each is different from that of the others. 

We can divide California into natural districts or provinces 
and thus make its geography more simple and easy to 
remember. 

From what has already ]:»een said, we now see how^ much there 
is to learn about the geography of our state if we would understand 
it as we ought. 

The relief map shows, if we examine it carefully, that we can 
divide California into a number of natural districts or provinces. 
Each district or province differs from the others in the sort of sur- 
face which it possesses and also in its climate and in its produc- 
tions. If we take up the study of each province by itself, our task 
will be much easier. 

The seven natural provinces of California. 

1. The Great Valley of California: This is also known as the 




The rugged eastern front of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from Owens Valley. 



72 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



Great Central Valley, or the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley. The 
relief map or model shows that this valley extends north and south 
for four hundred miles through the heart of California. The sur- 
face, climate and industries make this a natural region. 

2. The Coast Ranges: These mountains lie between the Greai 
Valley and the ocean. They include many ranges and thus form a 
mountain system. Between the different ranges are many beautiful 
and fertile valleys. 

3. The Sierra Nevada Mountains: These mountains form the 
great barrier which the pioneers had to cross before they could 
reach the Land of Gold. They form a picturesque region of granite 
peaks, deep cafions and dense forests. Here rise the greater num- 
ber of the important rivers of California. 

4. Southern California: This region first made California fa- 
mous for its oranges. It is known for its mild winter climate and 
attractive scenery. 

5. The Great Basin : A region of mountains and deserts, alka- 
line lakes and strange animals and plants. 

6. The Klamath Mountains: A picturesque region of forest- 
covered mountains and canons, occupying the northwest corner of 
the state. 

7. The Volcanic Plateau: An elevated region of ancient vol- 
canoes, extensive plateau valleys and forests. 




Bullfrog Lake at the head of Kings River, Sierra Nevada Mountains, 
lake is due to a hollow in the rocks which was scraped out 
by .an ancient glacier. 



This 



CALIFORNIA n 

SUMMARY. 

When California was discovered it was one of the fairest lands 
ever looked upon. 

Owing to its position, extent, varied surface, and to the direc- 
tion of the winds which blow over it, California has such a variety 
of climates that every one can find within its boundaries that which 
is most agreeable to him, and engage in the sort of farming that 
he likes best. 

Nature's gifts are, however, unevenly distributed, which fact 
caused the settlement of the more favored portions long in advance 
of the less favored. People rushed to the gold regions first. Then 
they spread to the fertile valleys which had an abundance of rain, 
and when they had learned the advantages of irrigation settled the 
drier parts of the state. 

Manufacturing is becoming an important industry as a result 
of the discovery of vast deposits of oil, but agriculture will always 
remain as the foundation of the wealth of California. 

The natural resources of our state, so rich when people first 
came, will disappear as they have in other countries if we do not 
use them carefully. 

We must see that the soil is not washed away from our fields 
and that the mountain slopes remain protected by the forests so 
that the water supply is not lessened. 

The forests form one of our most important resources, and if 
the trees are not cut or burned faster than they grow, these forests 
will always remain to furnish lumber and fuel and enrich us in 
many other ways. 

The wild creatures should not be wantonly destroyed, for many 
of them are very useful. The birds in particular are among our 
very best friends. 

Because of the mountainous surface and few navigable streams, 
travel through California was difficult in the early days. 

After the gold excitement the population did not again increase 
rapidly until the railroads were built connecting with the East and 
the value of irrigation had become known. 

The careless farming of large ranches is giving place to the care- 
ful cultivation of small ones. 

REVIEW QUESTIONS. 

Mention the important natural resources of California. 

Describe any of the wild animals of California that you have seen. 

Describe any of the forests that you have visited. 

What is needed to make trees grow to a great size? 

Mention some of the reasons why California has a great variety of 

plant and animal life. 
What parts of the state were first settled? Why? 
W^hy does the farmer usually take more pains with his home than 

the miner? 



74 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

Mention some of the minerals (onnd in California, beginning with 
the most important. 

In Avhat way docs the story of oil or petroleum differ from that 
of coal? 

In what way have we been careless of our natural resources? 

Why do .we need water so much in the summer? 

What is the result of the washing" away of the soil by the rains? 

How does Nature protect the soil? 

AVhy should we be careful not to injure the mountain slopes about 
the heads of the streams? 

How do the forests aid in holding water for use in summer? 

Mention all of the uses of the forests that you can think of. 

Tell what you can about the condition of those people who have 
cut down their forests. 

Give all the reasons you can for preserving the birds. 

Which of our resources will never be replaced by Nature when we 
have used them up? 

Why was there little land cultivated in the old Spanish days? 

Describe any pass that you have seen between the hills or moun- 
tains, and tell if it is made use of. 

Mention the important passes leading" into California. 

How could the coastal slope of California have been settled if no 
passes had been found? 

What is usually the easiest means of ttavel in exploring a new 
country? 

\^'hat were the chief products raised in California before the build- 
ing of the railroads? 

What are now the' chief products? 

By what routes are these products now shipped to Eastern and for- 
eign markets? 

What means have we now of preserving perishable products until 
they reach market? 

Tell something about the advantages of irrigation. 

In what parts of California is irrigation most necessary? W^hy? 

Tell what you can about the Los Angeles acqueduct. 

What are the advantages of country life in California? 

Tell what you can about the earthquake of 1906. 

How does this earthquake help us to understand the making of our 
great mountains? 

Tell what you have read about the eruptions of Mt. Lassen. 

Mention some of the great volcanic peaks in California. 

Tell what you can about the beginning of a caiion, basing your de- 
scription on what you have seen during a heavy rain. 
Why are the glaciers in the mountains of California few and small 
at the present time? 

Why should we know the geography of our home and state better 

than that of other countries? 
Why is the geography of California so different? Give all the rea- 
sons that you can think of. 
In what way can we make its study more simple? 



CALIFORNIA 



75 



PRACTICAL LESSONS. 

For the growth of great coniferous forests there is needed a muist 

air and mild temperature like that of the middle slopes of our 

California mountains. 
A mountainous country has a much more varied climate than a level 

country. 
A country over which ocean winds blow has a more mild and even 

climate than one whose winds come from the lands. 
A new country is ordinarily settled first along the waterways. 
People will go to any sort of country, even though it be a desert 

or have an arctic climate, for the sake of gold. 
Manufacturing Avill not become important in any place unless it 

has water power or cheap fuel. 
A country whose resources are used up faster than Nature increases 

them will in time become poor. 
The farmer who takes no care of his soil will never be prosperous. 
The inhabitants of a country whose forests have been destroyed 

have a hard time to make a living. 
Our national parks and forest playgrounds are worth far more to 

us left as Nature made them than if the forests were cut down 

and the land cultivated. 
We should study carefully the habits of the w'ild creatures and pro- 
tect all that are not harmful. 
Mountain passes make possible the settlement of a country which 

without them would long remain uninhabited. 
Before we raise a crop we should first be sure of a market. 
Crops are much more certain when irrigation is used than when we 

depend upon chance showers. 




An irrigation canal. 



16 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



Earthquakes are often blessings in disguise. 

Nature is ever changing the surface of the earth, but in mountain- 
ous regions is working much faster than upon gentle low- 
land slopes. 

People can now "control Nature's way of doing things and over- 
come the obstacles she has put in the way far easier than they 
could long ago. 

If we do not first know the country we live in, we have no means 
of knowing other countries. 




The Sacramento Valley, level as a floor, supports vast fields of wheat. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Great Valley — The Granary and Future Garden of California. 

Where lies the valley of which we are going to learn, and 
why is it so named? 

In the heart of California is a lowland region of such vast extent 
that all the other valleys might be spread out in it and then not 
cover it. The valley is entirely inclosed by two great lines of moun- 
tains, the Sierra Nevadas on the east and the Coast Ranges on the 
Avest. If we should draw a line along the summits of these moun- 
tains, the space thus included would equal about half the area of 
the state. 

This lowland is fully 400 miles long from north to south and 
in places fifty miles wide, and much of the surface is almost as even 
as a floor. We might call it a plain, as has sometimes been done, 
but it is a true valley, being surrounded on all sides by mountains. 
Because of its size it has become known as the Great Valley of 
California. 

By what names are parts of the Great Valley commonly 

known ? 

The Great Valley is really formed of two valleys placed end 
to end. The northern one is called the Sacramento Valley, the 
southern one the San Joaquin. The valleys slope toward each other 
and in traveling through them we cannot tell when we leave the 
one and enter the other. 

The river which drains the northern valley is known as the 
Sacramento. The main river of the southern valley is the San Joa- 
quin. These rivers come together in the form of the letter "Y" in 
a delta region of marshes, and then enter Suisun Bay. Continuing 
westward the waters of the united rivers break through the Coast 
Ranges at the strait of Carquinez and enter the ocean through San 
Pablo and San Francisco Bays. 

How is it that the Sacramento, though much the smaller of 

the two arms of the" Great Valley, is drained by the 

larger river? 

The Sacramento Valley extends toward the north, so that it 
and the surrounding mountains have a greater rainfall than the 
San Joaquin Valley, which extends toward the south. In truth, so 
little rain falls in the southwestern part of the San Joaquin Valley 
that this region is almost a desert. 

If we follow the Sacramento River and its main branches, the 
Pitt, Feather and American Rivers, to their sources, we shall find 
that all flow through regions of heavy rainfall and all but the last 
rise outside of the rim of encircling mountains. They carry a large 
amount of water throughout most of the year. 

The rivers of the San Joaquin Valley also rise in lofty moun- 



78 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

tains, but they do not all unite in the San Joaquin River. Its chief 
tributaries are the Merced, Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Mokolumne 
Rivers, which enter the northern part of the valley. 

What becomes of the Kings, Kern and Kaw^eah Rivers, which 
carry great floods of water into the valley in the spring-, but whose 
waters rarely enter the San Joaquin River? 

If we could follow the Kings River downward from the point 
where it leaves the mountains, we would see that it spreads out 
over a large extent of country in many branching channels, form- 
ing a true delta. On this delta are situated the luxuriant gardens, 
orchards and vineyards of the Fresno region. 

The river has through many, many years been bringing soil and 
sand from the mountains and has at last built up its delta so that it 
now forms a low ridge entirely across the valley. This ridge or water 
parting turns the waters of the Kings as well as of the Kaweah 
and Kern Rivers southward away from the San Joaquin. 

The waters of the Kings River thus gather in a basin and form 
Tulare Lake, which was in early days one of the largest bodies of 
water in the state. Farther south the water of the Kern River col- 
lects in another basin, forming Buena Vista and Kern Lakes. 

So much of the water of Kings River is now used for irrigation 
that Tulare Lake has nearly disappeared. After a time, as more 
settlers come to this region, the water will all be used for irriga- 
tion and the once great lake will appear no more upon our maps. 

Who were the first settlers in the Great Valley? 

The Spaniards never spread into the Great Valley, for they Avere 
comparatively few in number and the region lay far from the coast. 

The first white man to make his home here was Capf. Sutter, 
a Swiss, who came in 1839. He obtained a large grant of land and 
built his celebrated fort near the mouth of the American River. 

When gold was discovered and people from the East began to 
pour across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, they found at Sutter's 
Fort a chance to rest and renew their supplies and obtain directions 
for reaching the newly discovered mines. 

The town of Sacramento soon sprang up on the Sacramento 
River near the fort and became the , terminus of all the emigrant 
trails across the Sierras. 

To Sacramento came, also, many of those who landed in San 
Francisco, for this was a central point easily reached by water. 
From there the Great Valley, stretching north and south as far as 
the eye could reach, formed an open highway to the foothills where 
the gravels were waiting to give up their golden treasures. 

Among the most noted of the early emigrants who settled in 
the Sacramento Valley was General Bidwell, whose ranch and orch- 
ards were widely known. 

Why do we call this valley the g-ranary and fnture garden 
of California? 
Do you not think that the word granary is a suitable name 



CALIFORNIA 



79 



for a valley in which you can tra\'cl for days t.hroui;ii fields trf wav- 
ing grain? For many years the Great Valley has been one almost 
continuous field of wheat, barley and oats. California has been 
known as one of the great grain producing states. We have ship- 
ped wheat and flour to all parts of the world. The most of this 
was grown in the valley of which we are speaking. 

The Great Valley was first given over largely to the raising of 
cattle, horses and sheep. Then it became the granary of the state, 
and although large quantities of grain are still raised, it is slowl}? 
being' transformed into a garden. The great ranches which were 
usually poorly cultivated and whose owners had few of the com- 
forts of life are being cut up into small ones, which under careful 
cultivation produce everything that can be desired. 

To make a garden three things are needed : rich soil, water and 
a suitable climate. The most of the valley has a rich soil. An 
abundance of water for irrigation is supplied by the many rivers 
which flow from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. To those parts not 
supplied by Nature we carry water b}^ means of many canals. The 
climate is adapted to the growing of a great variety of products. 
When enough people have come to make use of all these gifts, the 
Great Valley will become the garden of California. 

Is the situation of the valley favorable to its becoming the 
home of a great farming people? 

In order that the Great Valley may become thickly settled, there 
must be a market for what is grown there. If we look at the map 
we shall see how Nature has arranged the outlets of the valley. 




Stockton water front. 



80 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

The streams and slopes all lead toward the point where the 
three main rivers unite and flow down through the Coast Ranges 
to the city of San Francisco. This city is one of the markets of the 
valley, and it has the farther advantage of being connected with all 
the world by water. 

Four railroads lead out of the state through mountain passes. 
One extends north, two east and one southeast, connecting the val- 
ley with other parts of our country whose people are looking for 
the many things grown here which they cannot grow. 

Has the situation of the Great Valley an}^ disadvantages? 

Our relief map tells us that there is a rim of mountains all 
about the valley, and that these mountains are in most places high 
and difficult to cross. The gold seekers found them the worst ob- 
stacles in all their long journey across the continent. 

There are few roads over the Sierra Nevada Alountains, and 
these are passable only a part of the year because of the snow. 
Beyond the mountains are deserts which also help to separate the 
people of the Great Valley from other valleys. 

Only one wagon road has been built across the higher part of 
the Coast Ranges north of San Francisco, and that extends from 
Redding to Eureka. South of San Francisco there are several passes 
leading through the Coast Ranges, but there is little travel over 
them because the country bordering upon the San Joaquin Valley 
is very dry and thinly settled. 

What makes the climate of the valley so warm? 

We have already learned that the Great Valley is separated from 
the ocean by a mountain system which we call the Coast Ranges. 
If we should leave the coast on a summer day, when the cool winds 
from the sea are burying all the adjacent valleys in fog, and should 
cross the mountains to the Great Valley, we would find the sun shin- 
ing brightly and the air hot and dry. In spite of the heat we would 
not suffer because the air is so dry. 

At the Strait of Carquinez, where there is a gap in the moun- 
tains, there is such a strong draught of cool air into the valley that 
a little sea fog sometimes creeps in, cooling all the delta region as 
far as Sacramento and Stockton. The summer heat is not unhealth- 
ful and sunstrokes are rare. Without the heat and the many months 
of bright, sunny weather, we would not find there such sweet oranges 
and raisins. 

The Coast Ranges make the Great Valley so much warmer than 
it would be if open to the sea winds that oranges as far north as 
Oroville ripen much earlier than they do in the San Bernardino 
Valley, which is 400 miles farther south. 

The earliest spring fruits, such as cherries and apricots, do not 
come from the south, as we might expect, but are produced in the 
region about Vacaville on the western side of the Sacramento Valley 
close under the protecting shelter of the Coast Ranges. 




A Typical Scene in the Great Valley of Cailfornia 



CALIFORNIA 



81 



Another interesting thing about the Great Valley is that it has 
fogs in winter when there is little fog on the coast. The winter fog 
is called tule fog, because it is heaviest in the low delta region, Avhere 
the tules grow: It is caused by the moisture from the ground rising 
into the cold winter air. 

How is it that parts of the Great Valley are so thinly settled? 

The western side of the San Joacjuin Valley is very dry and 
toward the southern end it is like a desert. No streams flow down 
from the Coast Ranges, and as there is neither enough rain nor 
water for irrigation, this region is almost uninhabited by farmers. 

We are learning from our study of California how mountains 
by furnishing a supply of water make it possible for people to set- 
tle and have comfortable homes in many of the valleys w^here 
little rain falls. We must remember, however, that most of the 
storms come from the west, striking most severely on the slopes 
of the mountains which face the ocean. On the opposite or eastern 
side of the mountains there is less rain than if there were no moun- 
tains at all. 

This is why the western side of the Sacramento and San Joa- 
quin A^alleys, close to the Coast Ranges, is so dry. These moun- 
tains not only cut ofi* the cool winds, making the valley hot in sum- 
mer, but they also break the force of the storms. 

The cool air of the slopes toward the ocean causes heavy rain 
to fall as the storms pass over them. By the time the clouds have 
reached the Great Valley they have lost so much water that in the 




Picking cantaloups in the San Joaquin Valley. 



82 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

warmer air of this region the rain may cease to fall and the sun 
shine out. 

As the air moves still farther eastward it reaches the high 
Sierras. Here it becomes chilled again. The clouds grow thick and 
heav}^ and finally afford rain or snow. 

In this way the mountain streams are fed that supply water to 
the farmers to irrigate their fields in the valleys where, perhaps, 
no rain has fallen. 

The reason why the San Joaquin climate is drier than that of 
the Sacramento is that many storms pass across the northern part 
of our state without reaching the southern valleys. There may be 
days of rainy weather in the Sacramento Valley, Avhile in the San 
Joaquin there arc only clouds in the sky. 

How is it that the Great Valley, although it has such a dry 
climate, is so well supplied wnth water that it will some 
day support millions of people ? 

If you should journey up the west side of the San Joaquin Val- 
ley in summer you would not come to a single stream of running 
water. Upon the west side of the Sacramento Valley you would 
find a fcAv small ones. If you should now take a similar journey 
along the east side of the Great Valley you would find many rivers 
which in the spring and early summer are so large that you would 
have difficulty in crossing them. They pour such a flood of water 
into the valley that the lowlands are sometimes flooded and travel 
is interfered with. 

All these rivers take their rise in the snow banks, springs and 
lakes of the mighty mountains lying to the east and north. They 
furnish water enough to irrigate not only the whole of the eastern 
side of the valley, but the western side as well. The building of 
reservoirs and canals will enable us to hold the flood waters and 




Drying apricots in San Joaquin Valley. 



CALIFORNIA 



83 



distribute them to thousands of square miles of the richest soil 
which Nature left dry and barren. 

How is it that the Sierra Nevada Mountains, though they 
make communication with the East so difficult, are nev- 
ertheless of the greatest importance to the people who 
dwell in the Great Valley? 

1. The mountains are useful because they supply water for 
irrigation : Without the Sierra Nevadas the rivers of the Great Val- 
ley would be few and small. The southern part of the valley would 
be so dry that it would be useful only as pasture for cattle and 
sheep. Farther north the heavier rains would make possible the 
growing of grain. Without water the population must have re- 
mained small and scattering. 

The Sierra Nevada mountains have so great an extent and are 
so lofty and cold that the clouds which passed over the Coast Ranges 
without losing their water particles are here compelled to give up 
nearly all that they have in the form of heavy rains and snows. 

2. The mountain streams furnish water power: The people of 
the Great Valley need electricity for lighting their homes. It is 
needed for running cars and for manufacturing. The mountain 
streams flow swiftly down through their cafions and furnish un- 




A flooded rice field in Sacramento Valley. 



84 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

limited power, when turned into electricity, for doing all kinds 
of work. 

3. The mountains furnish fire-wood and lumber: The moun- 
tain slopes are covered with forests because of the heavy rains and 
snows. These forests contain a great variety of trees suitable for 
fire-wood and lumber. The wood is usually brought to the valley 
in wagons. The lumber is sawed in the mountains and floated down 
to the valley in flumes. 

4. The mountains furnish summer camp grounds: In the sum- 
mer the people of the Great Valley delight to make excursions into 
the mountains, where the cool, shady slopes, pure water and grand 
scenery make living out of doors pleasant and healthful. 

What was the appearance of the Great Valley when people 
first came? 

Fremont, the first explorer, speaks of the country about Sut- 
ter's Fort as surpassingly beautiful with rich grasses, flowers and 
groves of oak trees. There were deer, antelope and elk in the open 
and bear in the thickets along the streams. 

Majestic oak trees give parts of the Sacramento Valley the ap- 
pearance of a park. As we go south there is less rain, the trees 
disappear except for those on the bottom lands along the streams. 
Far to the south on the deltas of the Kings, Kern and Kaweah 
Rivers are scattered cottonwood trees. 

It was in the spring that the valley appeared so beautiful to 
the emigrants. Flowers of many colors made brilliant the open 
plains as far as the eye could reach. Most prominent among them 
was the orange-colored poppy, now the state flower. 

A group of ancient volcanoes. 

How there came to be volcanoes in the Sacramento V^alley we 
cannot tell. A few miles northwest of Marysville, in the middle 
of the valley, rise the sharp points of the Marysville Buttes. Fong 
ago these buttes threw out ashes and lava, but now they are quiet 
and are slowly crumbling away. 

Why are the rivers of the Great Valley so little used hy boats ? 

The Sacramento River forms an important highway as far as 
the city of Sacramento. The San Joaquin River is of equal impor- 
tance for the transportation of freight and passengers as far as the 
city of Stockton. 

Before the building of the railroads, these rivers oft'ered the 
only easy means of reaching the interior of the state. Boats once 
went up the Sacramento as far as Red Bluff and the Feather River 
to Marysville, but hydraulic mining has so filled the channels that 
these portions are now too shallow for boats of any size except 
during spring floods. When the valley becomes more thickly set- 
tled the rivers will be dredged so that freight boats will go as far 
north as Redding-, 



CALIFORNIA 



85 



Some time the San Joaquin River and its tributaries will be 
deepened and we shall probably see a long canal dug southward 
through the whole length of the valley to Buena Vista Lake. When 
that time comes, the lands which are now unfruitful because of the 
lack of water will be thickly settled. The farmers along the canal 
will have a cheap and easy means of sending their produce to mar- 
ket, and the vast oil fields of this region will bo able to get their 
supplies with much less difficulty. 

How is it that the "Delta Region" has such rich soil? 

As we cross the Great Valley on our way from San Francisco 
to Sacramento or Stockton, we ride over miles of marsh lands cov- 
ered with waving tules. If we happen to cross this region in the 
spring, we find that a vast lake has covered the tules, for the streams 
bring so much water during their floods that it cannot at once es- 
cape through the Strait of Carquinez to San Francisco Bay. 

Long ago there were no marshes here nor any delta, for the 
land stood higher than now and the San Joaquin-Sacramento River 
emptied into the ocean outside of the Golden Gate. Finally the land 
began to sink and soon the ocean water swept in and flooded the 
lower valleys of the river, making San Francisco, San Pablo and 
Suisun Bays. 

Suisun Bay became a great body of water, reaching probably 
as far as Sacramento and Stockton. Into this bay the rivers of the 
Great Valley emptied. Year by year they brought down the richest 
particles of soil, as the rains washed them from all the mountain 




The result of the farmer's toil on the rich delta lands of the 
3s!cramento-San Joaquin rivers, 



86 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

slopes about the valley. This fine, muddy material slowly filled the 
bay until the most of it was turned into the marsh of today. Some 
time Suisun Bay will be entirely filled. 

Beneath the tules of the marshes the soil is deep and dark and 
rich. Dikes of earth are now being built to protect from the floods, 
and powerful machinery is used to pump out the water as fast as 
the dikes are completed. 

Many thousands of acres have already been reclaimed and pro- 
duce luxuriant crops. The fertility of the soil tells us why in other 
parts of the world deltas have been inhabited by such rich and 
prosperous peoples. 

Hov/ irrigation will make homes for millions of people. 

We have seen how water is the life of the land ; without it 
there can be neither plants nor animals nor people. The lack of 
water in many parts of the earth leaves them uninhabited, or if peo- 
ple do manage to live in them they have to move from place to 
place to obtain feed for their cattle. They build no permanent 
homes nor do they have many comforts. 

Few settlers occupied the drier parts of the Great Valley be- 
fore the introduction of irrigation. Their ranches were large and 
the towns were far apart. This was the time when cattle and grain 
were the chief products. It took thousands of acres of this dry 
land to support one family. 

Now great reservoirs have been built in the mountains to hold 
the water for summer use, and many canals lead this water to the 
thirsty land. Green fields of alfalfa, orchards and vineyards are 
spreading over the valley and comfortable homes are springing up. 

Why do we call this valley the "Garden of California"? 

The Great Valley contains the largest area of rich land in Cali- 
fornia. It has also a climate which' will grow almost everything 
that can be desired, and finally it has an abundance of water for 
irrigation. 

Much of the area of the valley is yet uncultivated, much is 
still devoted to grain, but wherever water has been carried orchards 
and vineyards and thickly clustered homes with every comfort are 
turning it into a garden. 

The successful growing of alfalfa has led to the development 
of dairying and hog raising until they have become important in- 
dustries. 

Oranges, lemons, figs and olives are grown everywhere, but the 
two first do best about the borders of the valley, where the land 
rises to meet the foothills, for here it is less frosty. 

The growing- of table grapes is an important industry. The cli- 
mate and soil of the Fresno district have been found especially 
suited to the raisin grape and so this has become the center of the 
raisin industry of the state. 

Peaches, apricots and pears are raised in great quantities. These 



CALIFORNIA 87 

together with cherries reach the market first from the Vacaville 
region. 

The "delta" about which we have just learned is remarkable 
for the variety and richness of its productions. If we take the 
steamer down the river from Sacramento in the summer, we see 
the boat taking on fruit and melons at every landing. If we go 
up the San Joaquin River to Stockton, we see men taking care of 
great fields of potatoes, celery, asparagus and onions. 

The growing of rice along the lowlands has become one of the 
most important industries of the Sacramento Valley. If it were 
not for the absence of the curious costumes of the people of the 
East we might almost imagine, when we look at these great fields 
of rice, that we were in Japan, China or Java. Cotton growing is 
being tried in the San Joaquin Valley, where the great heat and 
long growing season offer favorable conditions. 

How do the people of the valley dispose of the vast quantities 
of fruit which they raise? 

Thousands of carloads of fresh fruit and vegetables are sent to 
the Eastern market from Sacramento, which has become the central 
shipping point. The use of refrigerator cars enables these products 
to reach the East in a fresh condition. 

Many canneries use up a large part of the fresh fruit, while 
immense quantities are dried. Dried fruits \v ill keep a long time 
and can be sent to any part of the world. 

Does the Great Valley supply any minerals? 

We do not look for minerals in a valley because they are usu- 
ally found in rocks. In the valleys the rocks are buried deeply by 
the soil, but they appear everywhere in the hills and mountains 
which inclose the valleys. 

In the hills about the borders of the southern San Joaquin Val- 
ley, and in some places extending into the valley, are some of the 
most wonderful petroleum deposits known in all the world. 

Nature seems to have placed the oil fields in the driest and 
most desert-like portion of the valle}', as though she wished to 
have all the land useful for something. 

The most important fields are the Kern, near Bakersfield; the 
Sunset, Midway and McKittrick, on the west side of the valley op- 
posite Bakersfield, and the Coalinga field, on the opposite side of the 
valley from Fresno. 

The oil is obtained by drilling wells in the earth, some of them 
being nearly a mile deep. The oil is dark and some of it is quite 
thick before it is refined. The dark oil is valuable as fuel for en- 
gines of all kinds. It has largely taken the place of wood and coal 
upon the railroads of the West and upon the boats plying the Pacific 
Ocean. 

There are many wonderful wells in the Sunset district. Two 
wells spouted oil high in the air for many months, and produced 
as much as 50,000 barrels of oil each per day. 



88 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



Immense quantities of gag, suitable for lighting and for running 
engines, comes out with the oil. Much of this gas was at first 
wasted, but now it is piped to Los Angeles, where it is used for 
many purposes. 

An important mining industry in the Sacramento Valley is 
dredging for gold in the beds of the rivers. The center of this 
mining is the Feather River bottom lands near Oroville. 

Thousands of acres of rich lands have been turned upside down 
and ruined in the search for gold. The cultivation of oranges and 
olives, which are now produced in large quantities about Oroville, 
is, however, a far more permanent source of wealth than this sort 
of mining, which has destroyed so much fertile land. 

The towns that grew up in the Great Valley in the pioneer 
days. 

In the early days all the supplies for the mines had to be brought 
from San Francisco, for, before the railroads were built, it was im- 
possible to transport them across the continent. 

Freighting on the rivers of the Great Valley became an impor- 
tant business, for they were deeper and easier to navigate than they 
are now. The loads were discharged at points nearest the different 
mining camps and at a number of these points important towns 




A busy river scene at Sacramento. 



CALIFORNIA 



89 



grew up. The supplies were carried to the mines from the landing 
places upon huge freight wagons drawn by long strings of mules. 

Just below Sutter's Fort a town sprang up which has since be- 
come an important city and capital of the state. Sutter's Fort first 
attracted people to this point because it was in the foothills nearby 
that gold was first discovered. 

The new town of Sacramento was found to be centrally located 
and so all the overland emigrants came here first before scattering 
to the different mining camps. 

The situation of Sacramento was, then, favorable for it to grow 
into an important city. Large boats came up the river as far as this 
point. From here the first railroad was built to Folsom, a mining 
town in the foothills. The most important overland trails termi- 
nated here, and here came also the Central Pacific, the first over- 
land railroad. 

With the building of the railroads through the Sacramento and 
San Joaquin Valleys, Sacramento became more important still as a 
distributing point. It is now the center of a rich fruit-growing dis- 
trict and the point from which thousands of carloads of produce are 
sent East. 

Marysville sprang up at the head of navigation on b\'ather 
River. It soon became an important place, for there were many 
rich mines that were easiest reached from here. After a few ^ears 




The beautiful grounds of the state capitol at Sacramento, 



90 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

the hydraulic mines washed so much sand and gravel into Feather 
River that its channel was filled up. During the spring floods it 
overflowed and covered hundreds of acres of rich bottom lands with 
barren sand. Marysville would have been flooded also if strong 
dikes of earth had not been thrown up. Now the bed of the river 
is higher than the streets of the town. 

At a point near the limit of navigation on the Sacramento a 
reddish colored bluff overhung the river and so the town which 
grew up here came to be known as Red Bluff. All the northern 
mines in Shasta, Trinity and Siskiyou Counties were reached from- 
Red Bluff. 

When the railroad was built to Redding, it in turn became the 
distributing point for the north. Boats cannot now go to Red Bluff, 
but some time the river will be dredged and freighting on the upper 
Sacramento will again become important. 

It was a long land journey from Sacramento to the southern 
mines and so an easier route was sought. This led to the establish- 
ment of a town on a branch of the San Joaquin River, where now 
is the city of Stockton. 

The present city owes its importance partly to the fact that it 
Is in the center of a rich and highly cultivated region and partly to 
its being at the outlet of the great San Joaquin Valley. To this 
point produce can be brought from all parts of the valley by rail- 
road and then transferred to boats. Important flour and other mills 
are located here. 

The settlement of the valley has led to the growth of new 

cities and towns. 

Fresno is the most important of the newer cities and is des- 
tined to become the metropolis of the San Joaquin Valley. It looks 
as if Nature intended that there should be a city here in the center 
of the great fertile delta of the Kings River, 

This delta is not marshy like that of which we have recently 
learned. It is, instead, a vast, gently sloping plain built up by the 
sand, gravel and soil brought down by the Kings River. The river 
splits up into many branches on the delta and these have been far- 
ther increased by the building of canals so that the whole is thor- 
oughly watered. 

Orchards and vineyards extend out many miles in every direc- 
tion from the city of Fresno. The growing of the raisin grape has 
become such an important industry here that Fresno has become 
known as the raisin center of California. 

Bakersfield is situated in the southern end of the valley on the 
Kern River. Although the city is surrounded by many miles of the 
richest lands, these are as yet but thinly settled. When the name 
Bakersfield is mentioned, we think of the oil fields and their many 
miles of derricks where the oil is being pumped out of the earth. 
The city is the center for the most important oil districts in the state. 

Taft and Coalinga on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley 
have become important towns in a dry and desert-like region where 



CALIFORNIA 



91 



there is neither a farmhouse nor any cultivated land to be seen. 
They depend solely on the oil business, and if the wells should cease 
to produce, every one would leave. 

Tulare and Visalia owe their situation to the delta of the Ka- 
weah River. To the east of these places in the edge of the foothills 
are the most important orange growing districts of the San Joaquin 
Valley. 




View of Fresno from an aeroplane. 

There are many other towns in the Great Valley, such as Merced, 
Modesto and Chico, each of which forms a center for orchards and 
green fields of alfalfa, but there are still hundreds of thousands of 
acres of uncultivated land upon which the wild flowers bloom a? 
they did when the state was first explored. 

SUMMARY. 

The Great Valley includes a vast area of almost level land in 
the heart of California. It is surrounded on all sides by mountains 
which makes access difficult except by the single outlet to San Fran- 
cisco Bay. 

The cHmate is hot in summer and in the southern part verv 
dry. Although possessing a soil deep and rich and abundantly sup- 
plied with water by the rivers that come down from the Sierra Ne- 



92 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

vada Mountains, the valley remained poorly cultivated for man- 
3-ears. 

It was not until the railroads were built and the value of irr' 
gation understood that many people began to settle here. Then the 
great ranches Avhich had been devoted to stock and grain began to 
be cut up into small ones; orchards began to be set out and new 
towns to spring up here and there. 

While the valley has been knoAvn as the "granary" of Califor- 
nia," it is fast becoming a garden in which millions of people will 
some time find comfortable and happy homes. 

REVIEW QUESTIONS. 

Tell w^hat you can about the mountains that surround the Great 

Valley, and trace its watershed on the map. 
Through what gap is the valley easily reached? 
Describe the formation of the deltas of the valley. Which is the 

most important one and what are its productions? 
AVhat do the mountains afford the people of the valley that they 

could not do without? 
iVt what point was the first settlement made? What cit}^ afterward 

sprang up here? 
A\'hy are the rivers navigable for so short a distance? 
Explain from the map where a canal could be easily dug through 

the San Joaquin Valley. 
AA'hy is the western side of the valley less thickly settled than 

the eastern? 
How is it that so little rain falls in the southern part? 
How would the climate be affected if the Coast Ranges were taken 

away? What effect would this have upon the industries? 
AVhy were the large ranches necessary before the coming of irri- 
gation ? 
Mention the most important fruits and tell how they are marketed. 
What sort of a climate is needed for making good raisins? 
Describe the methods employed in the growing of rice. Can rice 

be grown wdiere there is little w-ater? 
For what different purposes do the people of the valley use the 

mountain streams? 
How w^ould the deepening of the rivers and the building of canals 

help the Great Valley? 
What mining industries arc carried on here? 
Give reasons for the situation of Sacramento. Stockton, Redding, 

Fresno. 

PRACTICAL LESSONS. 

A valley surrounded by mountains is difficult to reach, but these 
mountains may at the same time be of such value that it would 
not be habitable without them. 

JNIountains afford attractions and resources of many kinds which add 
greatly to the wealth of the neighboring yalle3's. 



CALIFORNIA 93 

A region which is cut off from the ocean winds by mountains is 
hotter in summer and colder in winter than it otherwise would 
be. It has ordinarily also less rainfall. 

The careful cultivation of a small piece of land is more profitable 
than the careless cultivation of a large piece. 

Cities and towns spring up at those points where Nature has made 
it convenient for men to meet for various purposes. 

A land which has rivers and canals for carrying goods has an ad- 
vantage over one dependent upon wagon roads and railroads. 

Wherever water can be obtained for irrigation, a dry and desert 
country can be turned into the most productive of gardens. 




The rocky shore of Carmelo Bay — back of which rise the 
rugged Coast Ranges. 



CHAPTER V. 

The Coast Ranges : A Region of Mountains and Innumerable Park- 
Like Valleys Whose Fertile Soil and Agreeable Climate 
Make This An Attractive Land. 

Introduction. 

The name "Coast Ranges" tells us at once in what part of CaH- 
fornia the mountain region which we are going to study is situated. 
We must remember, however, that the mountains which w^e call the 
Coast Ranges do not include all those near the coast, but only such 
as are situated between the Great Valley and the ocean. 

Both to the north and south of those mountains which we agree 
to call the Coast Ranges are others bordering the ocean but which 
have different names. 

The relief map shows us that the Coast Ranges are not, like 
the Sierra Nevadas, formed of one great and lofty range, but of 
many ranges of much less height. We call the Coast Ranges a 
mountain system because they consist of a number of ranges grouped 
together. 

We learn farther from the relief map that these ranges extend 
parallel with each other and nearly parallel with the general line of 
the coast. They lap past each other like the shingles on a roof. 
Where a range ends there is a headland or capCj and where there 
is an opening through a range or between two ranges there is a 
bay. Most of the bays are, however, not well protected because 
of the direction of the mountains. 

The region of the Coast Ranges includes about the same area 
as the Great Valley, but a large part of it is so rough that it will 
always be sparsely inhabited. Toward the north the rainfall is 
heavy and there is much valuable timber, but southward the tim- 
ber is scattering and the mountain slopes are mostly covered with 
brush. 

Why was it that the early navigators learned so little of the 
land lying back of the Coast? 

The first navigators who visited the coast encountered many 
storms and found few places in which they could anchor safely. 
Aluch of the shore was rocky and behind it rose steep mountains 
w^hich barred the way into the interior. Where there were sandy 
beaches the breaking waves and lack of protection from storm kept 
them from landing. 

If the mountains had extended out into the ocean instead of 
being nearly parallel with the shore, there would have been prom- 
inent headlands with deep bays between them in which to anchor 
and valleys which could have been followed back into the un- 
known land. 



96 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

How did the direction of the Coast Ranges make exploration 
by land easy? 

The Spanish explorers who went northw^ard through the Coast 
Ranges found few difficulties because of the long, open valleys be- 
tween the ranges leading almost in the direction in w^hich they 
washed to go; but since the ranges do not run quite parallel with 
the coast, it was necessary to cross several of them. 

North of Santa Barbara rises the great wall of the Santa Ynez 
Mountains, blocking the way. The explorers followed the coast 
until they came to a gap in the mountains which is known as the 
Gaviota Pass. Then they passed through a country of rolling" hills 
and valleys until they came to the Santa Lucia Range. They crossed 
this through a low place called Cuesta Pass. 

They w^ere now in the Salinas Valley, which led them north- 
westward as straight as an arrow for one hundred miles. This 
brought them to the Bay of JMonterey. To reach San Francisco 
another range, known as the Gavilan, had to be crossed; after which 
a beautiful valley led through to San josc and San Francisco. This 
route from San Diego and Los Angeles to San Francisco came to 
be known as the Camino Real, meaning the King's Highway, 

Can we explain why San Francisco Bay is the only good har- 
bor in this region? 

On the eastern coast of our country there are good bays ex- 
tending far into the land where large rivers enter the ocean. This 
is because the land has sunk so that their mouths are now flooded. 

The coast of California has also sunken, but not enough to 
make deep bays at the mouths of any of the rivers except the Sac- 
ramento. At the mouth of the Klamath, the second largest river 
on the coast of California, there is no bay at all. The Sacramento 
River flows through a broad, low valley to the ocean, and that is 
the reason that a slight sinking of the land formed a great bay ex- 
tending far into the interior. 

If the land should continue to sink, other valleys of the coast 
region would be flooded and W'e would have many good harbors, 
])ut would lose most of our rich valley lands. 

San Francisco Bay forms one of the finest harbors in the world. 
It is so hidden from the ocean that the early navigators sailed past 
without suspecting that it w^as here. 

Flow has the scarcity of good harbors and openings through 
the Coast Mountains aifected the growth of the cities of 
this region? 

Because San Francisco Bay forms the only safe deep-water har- 
bor and has in addition easy communication with the interior, its 
shores have become a great manufacturing and commercial center. 
Here can be easily brought the products of a vast region for ship- 



CALIFORNIA 97 

ment to foreign countries, and from here their products can be dis- 
tributed over our own country. 

San Francisco has, then, advantages which no other place in 
the Coast Range possesses. Other cities have sprung up along the 
shores of this region where there are small harbors and bays. Be- 
cause of the mountains lying back which interfere more or less witli 
travel into the interior, they are supported chiefly by the people of 
the surrounding country and carry on trade only with San Francisco. 

What can we learn as to the position of the watershed of the 
Coast Ranges and its influence on their settlement? 

Strange as it may be, the watershed or water-parting of this 
region is near its eastern edge, although in places the highest moun- 
tains are near the ocean. We have already learned that the main 
force of the storms is felt on the westward or coastal slope and that 
the eastern is much drier. Because of these tvv^o things the west- 
ward slope has large and important rivers, while the eastern has 
no stream large enough to be called a river. The western slope is, 
then, well watered; it has many large and fertile valleys and con- 
tains most of the population. The eastern slope is thinh^ settled 
and poorly watered. 

If the watershed of this region had been near the sea, the larger 
part would have been dry and must always have remained thinly 
settled. 




The rocky coast of Northern California is dangerous in stormy weather. 
A boat moored off shore is being loaded by cable. 



98 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

Why are the rivers of the Coast Ranges small in summer com- 
pared with those of the Sierra Nevadas? 

The rivers of the Sierras rise in regions so high and cold that 
the clouds drop snow instead of rain. The snow melts slowly and 
feeds the springs and rivulets far into the summer. 

With the exception of a few peaks, the Coast Ranges rise 
scarcely one-third as far into the sky as do the Sierras and more 
rain than snow falls on them. 

Because of this there are floods in the rivers of the Coast Ranges 
during the winter or rainy season, while in summer they become 
very low. In the Southern Coast Ranges the beds of the streams 
are dry for months at a time. 

What influence has the distribution of the rainfall and forests 
had on the settlement of the Coast Ranges? 

The valleys of the North Coast Ranges that lie near the ocean 
receive so heavy a rainfall that they bear a heavy forest^ mostly 
of redwood trees. These forest lands cannot be settled and culti- 
vated until the lumbermen have removed the trees. 

The interior valleys of the Southern Coast Ranges are so dry 
that crops cannot always be depended upon, and as a result are 
thinly settled. 

We learn then that while too much rain, with the heavy forests 
that have resulted from it, has hindered settlement in one part, too 
little rain has had a similar effect in another. 

Besides these climatic influences, many valleys are far from 
any market and without water or rail transportation so that ordi- 
nary farming cannot be carried on. The people who have settled 
in these valleys must depend upon raising stock, which can be 
driven to market. 

For what natural products are Coast Ranges most widely 
known ? 

^^"e might mention two products which are known all over our 
country. 

The giant redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens) are among the 
wonders of our state. These trees grow to such great size and so 
close together that the sun can hardly penetrate their forests. They 
are very valuable for lumber, which is shipped to all parts of the 
world. 

The second important natural product is a mineral. It is known 
as quicksilver and is found in but a few places in our country out- 
side of the Coast Ranges. We might mention also petroleum or oil 
as another important natural product of this region. 

The Northern Coast Ranges — The Home of the Giant 

Redwoods. 

Introduction. 

The Northern Coast Ranges form a sea of mountains between 



CALIFORNIA 



99 



which are innumerable canons and many small valleys. The cen- 
tral part is drained by Eel River, the northern part by the Trinity 
River, the southern part by Russian River and other smaller streams. 

Along- most of the coast is a strip of low land, generally quite 
narrow and in places cut off by mountains, which here and there 
rise directly from the ocean. Upon this coastal plain are situated 
most of the inhabitants. The interior, except that part sloping to- 
ward San Francisco Bay and Clear Lake, is thinly settled. 

The watershed as well as the crest of the mountains lies close 
to their eastern edge, overlooking the Sacramento Valley. Here the 
Yallo Bally peaks rise over 8000 feet. 

Why has the settlement and growth of this region been 
so slow? 

A. The rocky coast line made access by sea difficult: There 
is but one safe harbor on the whole coast of Northern California 
and that is Humboldt Bay. This was formed by the waves throw- 
ing up a barrier beach across a bend in the shore at the last sink- 
ing of the land. The bay is entered across a bar over which the 
water is deep enough for large-sized coasting vessels. 

Nearly all the coast line of Northern California is formed of 
jagged cliffs, against which the waves beat continually. Except dur- 
ing quiet summer weather, landing along this coast is quite uncertain, 




Saw mill and log boom in a little cove on the Mendocino coast. The cove 

was made by the sinking of the land and the flooding of the 

mouth of a small river. 



100 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

SO that the settlement and growth of industries have been greatly 
hindered. 

At many points supplies are taken ashore and produce shipped 
out in the following manner: When the water is quiet a ship comes 
as close to the cliffs as it can and anchors. A cable, which has pre- 
viously been stretched from the shore to a buoy near by, is then 
made use of to transfer goods to and from the top of the cliff. 

B. The network of mountains has made the building of roads 
and railroads difficult: It was not until 1914 that the first railroad 
connecting Eureka with San Francisco was finished. Up to this 
time the city of Eureka could be reached only by a long and tire- 
some stage ride from the head of Russian River Valley down through 
the basin of Eel River, or by coasting vessel upon the frequently 
rough waters of the Pacific. 

A wagon road extends up the coast from Eureka to Crescent 
City and thence into Oregon, and another has just been built over 
a difficult route across the mountains to Redding in the Sacra- 
mento Valley. 

Why were the first settlements made on the Coast? 

Although landing was often difficult upon this rocky coast, yet 
it was settled before the interior because of two reasons. In the 
first place, the journey over the mountains was long and difficult ; 
and in the second place, the making of lumber soon became the 
leading industry. 

The redwood forests form a belt a few miles back from the 
shore, where they are protected from the harsh ocean winds. Short 
railroads were built, and the logs were carried to the coast, where 
mills were erected. The lumber was loaded on vessels in the way 
which has alreadv been described. 









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Point Arena light house on the flat coastal plain. 



CALIFORNIA 



101 



The coastal plain forms a strip of almost level land which is 
in places crowded out entirely by the mountains, while in other 
places it has a width of several miles. This is often an open, grassy 
country, and because of the advantages for dairying ofifered by the 
cool air and excellent grass it soon became one of the important 
dairying sections of the state. The butter and cheese produced are 
shipped to San Francisco by boat. 

How does the interior differ from the Coast, "and what de- 
termined its settlement? 

We will start at Eureka and take a journey eastward through 
the basin of Eel River. We cross first a fertile plain miles in width 
once covered with heavy redwood forests. Patches of forest still 
remain and between them appear meadow lands stocked wnth dairy 
cattle. For a long distance the valley of Eel River appears heavily 
timbered, with here and there cleared land. Fruit orchards appear 
and among them apple trees seem to take the lead. 

After a time the redwoods disappear, for the air becomes too 
dry for them. Spruce, madrone, laurel and oak take their place, 
beautiful groves of these trees arc scattered over the plateau-like 
uplands, while wild grasses cover the open spaces. 

Flere the climate is drier and more agreeable than it is upon 
the coast, but we seldom see a farm house or cultivated land, since 
the region is too inaccessible. There is no dairying in these moun- 
tains because of the distance to market, but beef cattle and sheep 
are to be seen everywhere. 

Finally, after passing through pine forests, we reach the sum- 
mit, from which we look down a short, steep slope into the Sacra- 
mento Valley. The mountains are here so high that arctic vege- 
tation abounds. There are snowbanks upon the shady slopes. 




One of the great saw mills and lumber yards at Eureka. 



102 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



Why are the rivers of this region of less use than those of 
the Sierras? 

The rivers of the Sierras flow rapidly down through deep can- 
yons. The rivers of the Coast Ranges flow much more gently 
throughout the most of their course to the ocean and afford little 
water power. The Sierra streams are needed for irrigation and the 
snowbanks keep them full far into the summer. In the North Coast 
Ranges there is little need for irrigation because of the heavy rain- 
fall and the streams become very low in summer because it is only 
in the higher parts of these mountains that much snow falls. 

In what way is the redwood tree very interesting? 

The redwoods of the Coast Ranges and the "Big Trees" of the 
Sierras are among the most wonderful trees in the world and are 
found only in California. Once they spread over a wide area, but 
now their only living relative is found in Japan. 

The redwoods do not grow as large as the "big trees," nor do 
they live as long, but some are fully twenty feet in diameter and 
reach an age of 2000 years. The scientific name of the redwood 
is Sequoia sempervirens. The last word of the name means always 
alive. It is given to the tree because it is so difficult to kill, for 
sprouts always come up around the stump when the tree is cut. 

It is a serious mistake to kill the stumps and clear those slopes 
which are not needed for farming, for the new shoots grow rapidly 




Schooners loading lumber at Eureka. 



CALIFORNIA 103 

and soon make trees large enough to cut. If we do not take care 
there will be no redwood lumber in the future and the tree will 
become extinct except in the parks where it has been protected. 

What led the Russians to abandon their settlement at Fort 
Ross ? 

The Russians, who once had fur-trading stations on the Alaska 
Coast, wished to establish a colony far to the south, where they 
could raise cattle and grow fresh vegetables. As the Spanish al- 
ready had possession of San Francisco Bay, the Russians, in 1812, 
landed at a little cove a few miles north of the mouth of Russian 
River and built a fort. At this place there is a strip of land about 
a mile wide, back of which rises range upon range of mountains 
for fifty miles. 

If there had been a river coming to the ocean at Fort Ross, 
with valleys opening back through the mountains, thus giving the 
Russians an opportunity to enlarge their settlement, the history 
of Northern California would probably have been very different. 

Because the lay of the land was unfavorable, they abandoned 
the post after thirty years, and sold their guns and equipment to 
Captain Sutter, who removed everything to his fort in the Sacra- 
mento Valley. 

How is it that Eureka has become the most important city 
on the Northern Coast? 

We have learned that for many years this region was accessible 
only from the ocean. We have also learned that one of the first 
industries was lumbering and that the valuable forests were near 
the coast. 

There is but one safe harbor upon all the northern coast, and 
that is Humboldt Bay. Here the level coastal plain is wide and 
there are many miles of fertile land of the highest value for dairy- 
ing. Here also the redwood forests are the most extensive and 
easiest to get at. 

What is more natural, then, than that upon Humboldt Bay, 
where ships can anchor in safety and take and bring cargoes, should 
grow up the chief city of this northern region? Eureka is now con- 
nected with San Francisco by a railroad which will some day be 
extended northward into Oregon. The city can now be reached 
easily and has an outlet by which produce can be sent to market 
much more quickly. 

Does "the lay of the land" lead us to look for any other cities 
in this region? 

At the head of the Russian River Valley is the city of Ukiah, 
which, because it was for a long time the end of the railroad, be- 
came an important distributing point for all the Northern Coast 
Ranges. In all directions are picturesque valleys in which all sorts 



104 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



of fruit do well, while on the mountain slopes cattle and sheep 
are pastured. 

Many people live along the coast west of Ukiah, some of whom 
are engaged in dairying and stock raising and some in lumbering. 
Towns have grown up at points where the mills have been built 
and it is easiest to land supplies from the coasting vessels. The 
most important of these are Pt. Arena, Mendocino City and Fort 
Bragg. 

The Clear Lake District: A Pleasant Land of Mineral Springs 
and Health Resorts. 

Introduction, 

The region which we are now going to study is a part of the 
Northern Coast Ranges, but quite different in many ways from that 

part which we have just 
discussed. 

In the center of the dis- 
trict lies Clear Lake, the 
largest body of water in the 
Coast Ranges and one of 
the largest in California. 
All about it are picturesque 
mountains, of which the 
highest is Konocti, or Un- 
cle Sam, rising over 4000 
feet. Far to the south is 
St. Helena, another volcanic 
peak of about the same 
height. 

The basin of Clear Lake 
is interesting, not only for 
its beauty and its mineral 
springs, but also because it 
has really two outlets. Long 
ago the lake emptied into 
Russian River by way of 
the Blue Lakes. Now its 
outlet is Cache Creek, which 
flows east into the Sacra- 
mento River. We might say 
that the lake, which has an 
elevation of 1300 feet, is on 
the summit of the Coast 
Ranges and looks both ways. 




Eel River at low water. 



The agreeable climate, the pretty valleys, the extinct volcanoes 
and the mineral springs with their health-giving waters, make this 
region very interesting and it attracts thousands of visitors every 
summer. 



CALIFORNIA 105 

Why do we value mineral springs so highly? 

iMineral substances which have great value as medicine arc 
found dissolved in the waters of many springs in California. Such 
springs are called mineral springs. In the Eastern States and in 
Europe are many such springs so renowned for their curative prop- 
erties when used either for bathing or drinking that people travel 
thousands of miles to visit them. 

There are hundreds of springs of many different sorts in the 
Clear Lake region, some being hot and some cold. Among them 
are soda springs which contain the same gas made in soda foun- 
tains. One large spring of this kind boils up in Soda Bay in Clear 
Lake. 

Why are mineral springs so abundant in this region? 

If you will place salts of different kinds in cold water and then 
in hot water you will find that they will dissolve much easier in 
the hot water. This helps us to understand the origin of mineral 
springs. Although only a few of them are hot or boiling when 
they issue from the ground, we are sure that they all must have 
been so at some point deep in the earth from whence the waters 
came. 

The extinct volcanoes south of Clear Lake tell us why there 
arc mineral springs in this region. The molten rock from which 
volcanoes and lavas are made comes from deep in the earth where 
it is very hot. 

When water, which is everywhere creeping downward through 
rock crevices, reaches these hot or molten rocks in the earth, it 
also becomes very hot and is often turned to steam. Little by little 
it dissolves some of the minerals contained in the rocks and carries 
them along with it. In some places the steam pushes the hot Avater 
l)ack toward the surface, thus giving rise to mineral springs. 

What is the story of the Petrified Forest? 

In the mountains at the head of Xapa Valley are some won- 
derful hot springs and many broken trunks of trees that have been 
turned to stone. Long ago there was a forest growing there. The 
water of the springs contained silica, the substance of which cjuartz 
is composed, and when the trees fell the water flowed over them 
and caused them to turn to stone, or petrify, as we commonly say. 

Is the quicksilver of this region also the result of volcanic 
action ? 

The silvery liquid of our thermometers is quicksilver. Nature 
put it in the rocks in the form of a red ore which we have to roast 
before we can get the silvery metal. 

At the eastern end of Clear Lake, opposite Uncle Sam Mount, 
is the noted Sulphur Bank Mine, where there are valuable deposits 
of quicksilver and sulphur. Other mines of these minerals and one 
of gold are found in various parts of this volcanic district. 



106 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

In one mine the workmen opened a crevice through which 
boiHng water was flowing and the steam and sulphurous vapors 
almost suffocated them. The sides of the hollows in the rocks were 
found to be lined with sparkling crystals of sulphur and other 
minerals. 

The quicksilver, sulphur and gold of the Clear Lake region were 
all deposited from hot or boiling springs. 

Why is this region thinly settled, notwithstanding its at- 
tractions ? 

The climate is suited to growing many kinds of fruits, includ- 
ing pears, apples and grapes. Cattle and sheep are raised on the 
mountain slopes that are too steep for cultivation. 

The region is thinly settled, partly because much of it is moun- 
tainous and partly because no railroad has yet been built into it. 
The marketing of produce is difficult and expensive. 

The Southern Coast Ranges: Once the Seat of Many Spanish Mis- 
sions and Vast Ranches over Which Wandered Herds of 
Half -Wild Cattle — Now Dotted with Comfortable 
Homes, Orchards and Grain Fields, and Noted 
for Valuable Deposits of Petroleum. 
Introduction. 

We are now going to take up that part of the Coast Ranges 
lying far to the south. The Northern Coast Ranges, as we have 
learned, consist of a confused sea of mountains. In the south there 
are distinct ranges which extend in a regular northwest and south- 
east direction with long, open valleys between them. 

In the north it is very wet near the coast, so that there are 
dense forests. In the south there is also a heavy rainfall on the 
Santa Lucia and other of the higher ranges, but the surface is so 




The Lower Salinas River showing the shallow channel and the broad 
valley through which it flows. 



CALIFORNIA 



107 



rugged that there are few forests valuable for lumber. In the inte- 
rior valleys the climate is too dry for forests. 

In the Northern Coast Ranges the highest land is near the east- 
ern edge, while in the south the highest land is found in the Santa 
Lucia Range, which rises very boldly from the ocean, reaching at 
one point an elevation of about 6000 feet. 

Why is it that a large part of the Southern Coast Ranges is 
thinly settled? 

1. Is the land too rough and mountainous for many people to 
dwell there? This cannot be the reason, for there are many broad 
valleys with thousands of acres of fertile land that might support 
a large population. 

2. Is it because the land is poor and covered with timber and 
brush? No, for, on the contrary, nearly all the soil is good, and 
the slopes which are adapted to farming are covered with wild 
grasses. Neither do the beautiful oaks which dot the valleys near 
the coast interfere with the cultivation of the soil. 

3. Is it because of the difficulty of getting produce to market? 
It is not difficult to get produce to market from this region, be- 
cause of the long, narrow valleys extending northwest and south- 
east throughout its whole length, some of which opened toward San 




Artichoke fields in San Mateo County. The most important district for 
this vegetable in California. 



108 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

Francisco and others toward the ocean. The building of wagon 
roads and the haiiHng of freight through such valleys is easy. Then, 
in addition, most of the large valleys near the coast can ship pro- 
duce by boat. Because the ocean is much less stormy here than 
farther north, wharves have been built where there is some pro- 
tection from the waves, and during a larger part of the year boats 
load and unload from them without trouble. 

4. The real reason for the backward development of the south- 
ern coast lies in the small rainfall and almost desert climate of the 
interior valleys: We have already learned that where the rainfall 
is too light to gTOw crops that a few people can nevertheless make a 
living by raising cattle. They lack many comforts and advantages, 
for their homes must be far apart, since it takes thousands of acres 
to support a herd of cattle in such a region. 

How does the rainfall afifect the distribution of the people; 

The driest part of the Southern Coast Ranges is the Carrisa 
Plain, Avhich lies farthest from the ocean and is almost uninhab- 
ited. This plain is very interesting because it is a true basin with 
a rim of high land all about it, enclosing a salt marsh in the center. 
It has never rained much in this region, or the basin would have 
been turned into a lake and a stream would have flowed away tc 
the ocean. 

As we go toward the coast we find the rainfall increasing and 
with it the number of settlers. The main river valleys which lead 
down to the ocean contain more people than the immediate coast, 
for here between the dry interior and the damp, cool lands next to 
the ocean we find the most agreeable climate, adapted to the grow- 
ing of a great variety of products. 

How does the rainfall affect the occupations of the people? 

Cattle raising was once the only occupation, because there wsls 
no market for other products. Now the raising of beef cattle is 
largely confined to the drier and more mountainous parts of the 
Southern Coast Ranges. 

Wheat fields have taken the place of herds of cattle in the vast 
rolling hills and valleys of the upper Salinas River Basin, in the 
Santa Ynez and other valleys, where irrigation has not yet been 
developed, and there is scarcely rain enough for diversified farm- 
ing and fruit growing. 

It is in the large valle3's lying near the coast where there is 
abundant rain, and yet protection from the fogs, that we find a cli- 
mate which is not only very agreeable but adapted to the growing 
of a great variety of products. Here, then, we find the densest pop- 
ulation and most of the towns. 

The San Benito, San Juan, Pajaro, Upper Salinas. San Luis, 
Santa Maria and Lompoc Valleys produce large quantities of pears, 
peaches, prunes and apples. 

In the Pajaro Valley are produced great quantities of berries, 
which are largely disposed of in the San Francisco markets, ^^"a1;- 



CALIFORNIA 



10^) 



soil \'i lie is noted as the most important apple growing district in 
California. The slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains lying back of 
W'atsonville are protected from the cool ocean winds and are espec- 
ially suited to apples. 

The bottom lands of the valleys between the fruit belt and the 
ocean have a climate and soil adapted to the production of sugar 
beets, potatoes and beans. Important beet sugar factories are lo- 
cated in the Salinas and Santa ^laria Valleys. 

The hills and smaller valleys bordering the coast are given over 
largely to dairying. The abundant grasses of this region, the cool 
air and the opportunity to ship butter to San Francisco by boat 
make this industry profitable here. 

Why are the rivers of this region almost dry for a large part 
of the year? 

The three most important rivers are the San Benito-Pajaro in 
the north, the Cuyama-Santa Maria in the south, and the Salinas 
in the middle. 

The Salinas River drains an area as large as the basin of Eel 
River, but during much of the year its broad bed throughout its 
middle course is covered with drifting sand. The Santa Maria River 
is equally dry in summer. After the heavy rains of winter there 
is a great change. Their channels become filled Avith a muddy flood 
which sometimes does serious damage. 

We judge, then, that the mountains in which these rivers rise 
are not high enough to receive much snow ; and that when the rains 
come the water gathers quickly and runs away to the ocean, ^^"e 
judge also that the summers are long and dry, and that most of 
the water which the streams then carry is evaporated by the hot sun. 




Bridge across the Salinas River at King City. The channel is dry in summer 



110 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

In what way can the interior valleys be made to support a 
larger population? 

It will be necessary, as in many other parts of California, to 
build great reservoirs in order that the winter floods may be held 
for summer use, and extensive canals to carry it to the parched 
lands. The climate is healthful and the soil fertile, but more water 
is needed if many people are to make comfortable homes in this 
region. 

What has the lofty Santa Lucia Range to do with the dry 
interior ? 

The Santa Lucia is the boldest and loftiest range on the whole 
coast of California. It rises so abruptly from the ocean that travel 
along the seaward slope is possible only over the roughest trails. 

These mountains form such a great storm barrier that nearly 
all the region to the eastward across the whole Coast Range region 
is very dry. 

Why were the Missions built where they are? 

The Padres as they explored the Coast Ranges were not look- 
ing for mission sites which had commercial advantages. They sought, 
rather, for places where there was water, fertile land, and oppor- 
tunity to teach the Indians. 

At this time California was far away from any source of sup- 
plies. It was necessary to grow in the mission gardens everything 
that was needed in the new settlements. To do this in the dry 
summers of this region water for irrigation was a necessity. 

Did towns grow up about all the Missions? 

The sites of some of the missions proved to be of commercial 
importance and towns grew up about them. 

Santa Barbara is on the ocean near a partially protected bay 
and in the midst of a fertile coastal plain. 

San Luis Obispo lies in the midst of a beautiful valley and is 
a natural site for a city. A few miles away is Port Harford, the 
shipping point for this district, where a rocky point and breakwater 
rnake it possible for boats to load at any time. 

Monterey is situated upon the great Bay of Monterey and is 
well protected from southerly gales. Until San Francisco Bay was 
discovered, Monterey was the best knoAvn bay on the coast of Cali- 
fornia north of San Diego. 

Santa Cruz, also the site of a mission, lies on the opposite side 
of the Bay of Monterey. It has now become a noted summer re- 
sort. Back of it lies the Santa Cruz Mountains, whose groves of 
redwoods form attractive resorts. 

San Juan Mission occupies a fertile valley on the Camino Real 
and a small town grew up about it. 



CALIFORNIA lU 

Santa Clara, which is favorably situated in the center of a large 
valley now thickly settled, has grown into a city. 

How is it that Monterey did not become the metropolis of 
the new State of California? 

Monterey lies to the west and some miles away from the Camino 
Real. It has little farming land about it and is the shipping point 
for only one valley (Carmelo). It has none of the advantages of 
easy communication with the interior, or of a thoroughly protected 
harbor such as San Francisco has. 

Although Monterey was one of the two most important Spanish 
towns, and the leading seaport at the time of the discovery of gold, 
it was, for the reasons given above, very little aflfected by the rapid 
growth of California. 

Monterey has, however, become the most noted summer and 
winter resort upon the coast. Adjoining it is Pacific' Grove, an at- 
tractive camp ground in a forest of pines. One of the most beau- 
tiful drives in California extends past the Point of Pines along the 
rocky shore to Carmelo Bay. 

What attractive scenery do we find in the Southern Coast 
Ranges ? 

The grandest natural monument upon either the Atlantic or 
Pacific Coast of our country is Morro Rock, a few miles northwest 
of San Luis Obispo. This is a precipitous island of bare rock, ris- 
ing nearly 600 feet above the water of the ocean. 

The rock is of volcanic origin and belongs with a series of 
"buttes" which extend inland to the town of San Luis Obispo. 
Though they are not more than 1500 feet high, these buttes form 
very picturesque features of the landscape. 

The grandest mountain scenery of the Southern Coast Ranges 
is found along the seaward face of the Santa Lucia Range. Because 
of the steepness of the slopes and the depth of the cafions, few 
people live in these mountains. 

Alany people are attracted to this region because of the min- 
eral springs. 

The Southern Coast Ranges contain numerous hot sulphur 
springs which are highly prized. The waters of some of these 
springs are used for bathing and of others for drinking. Most 
noted are the hot springs and mud baths at Paso Robles. These 
springs are due, not to volcanic action, as are those in the north, 
but to chemical changes deep in the earth. That chemical changes 
produce heat is shown when lime is being slaked in the process of 
making plaster. 

What can we learn of the story of this region from the great 
oyster shells on the mountains? 
Near S'anta Margarita, and in many other places, there are 



112 



NEW PROGRESSIVE. GEOGRAPHIES 



beds of many kinds of ocean shells, among which are those of 
giant oysters. 

These shells tell us that long ago the Coast Ranges were be- 
neath the ocean with only islands sticking up above the water. In 
the shallows about the shores of the islands the oysters once lived. 
Then the ocean bottom sank and they were buried in sand. After 
long ages and many earthquakes the sea bottom was raised to form 
the mountains which we have been studying. The rains washed the 
sands away and the oyster shells were exposed. 

What do the caves in the ocean cliffs tell us? 

Near Port Harford there are caves in the ocean cliffs above the 
present level of the water. In some of them there arc water-worn 
pebbles. The caves teach us that the level of the land is changing, 
for they were made when it was not so high as it is now. 

The tidal lagoons along the Coast tell another story. 

At Morro Bay and Port Harford there are tidal lagoons reach- 
ing back into the land. These occupy partly submerged valleys 
and were made by a sinking of the land in the same manner as 
was San Francisco Bay. If the land had sunk farther many land- 
locked bays would have been formed upon the coast. 

The Channel Islands. 

The Channel Islands, lying off the coast of Santa Barbara, arc, 
as we have already learned, the remnants of a submerged mountain 
range which was once a part of the mainland. 




Sand dunes near San Francisco, showing how vegetatixsn helps to 
hold the soil from drifting. 



CALIFORNIA ii3 

Because most of the surface of the islands is rough with little 
'j:;ood soil, and because water is very scarce, they have remained 
uninhabited, and are used mainly as pastures for sheep. 

When the whites first came, the islands were peopled with 
many Indians, who lived mainly upon fish and shell fish, and were 
in some ways superior to the Indians upon the mainland. 

Why is there so much oil in the Coast Ranges and so little 
coal? 

The reason is that while oil or petroleum comes from rocks 
which were formed in the deep ocean, coal is formed from the 
\egetation which once collected in marshes on the land. 

The ocean which, long ago, covered the region of the Coast 
Ranges was filled with little organisms so small as to be hardly 
visible. As these organisms died their bodies accumulated in beds 
thousands of feet thick. Then the ocean currents washed mud and 
sand over them and buried them deeply. After a time the beds 
containing the bodies were made very warm and began to give ofif 
oil and gas which collected in sandy layers. 

The Santa Maria oil field in Western Santa Barbara County is 
one of the most valuable in California. To reach the oil some of 
the wells have been drilled 4000 feet into the earth. 

In what different conditions is the oil found? 

The gas which comes from oil wells has great vahie as fuel for 
steam engines, for running gas engines and for fuel. This gas con- 
tains the more volatile parts of the oil, such as gasoline. 

The oil which forms what is known as "tar springs" is dark and 
thick. When oil becomes dried out to such a degree that it is hard 
at ordinary temperatures, it is called asphaltum. It occurs in veins 
in the earth and is also produced in the refining of oils. 

Xear San Luis Obispo there are great beds of what is known 
as bituminous rock. This rock is formed by oil creeping into por- 
ous sand rocks. Bituminous rock is quarried and used very widely 
as a pavement for city streets. 

What other minerals are found in the Southern Coast Ranges ? 
Valuable mines of quicksilver are worked at Xew Indria in San 
Benito County and at Xew Almaden in Santa Clara County. Coal 
is mined in the mountains west of Coalinga, and a little gold is 
found in the Santa Lucia Range. 

San Francisco Bay and the Region About: A Magnificent Land- 

Locked Bay, the Gateway to California, with Arms 

Reaching Out Into Fertile Valleys Set 

Among Picturesque Mountains. 

Introduction. 

San Francisco with its connecting bays occupies what was once 
a group of valleys in the Coast Ranges through which flowed the 
Sacramento River. 



114 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

San Francisco Ba)^ is more than fifty miles long from north 
to south and in places is twelve miles mide. A part of the shore 
is flat and marshy. In other places steep hills rise in a picturesque 
manner from the shore, while here and there are rocky islands. 

The largest ships can pass through the Golden Gate into the 
bay, while the different arms permit the smaller river boats to reach 
the great interior valleys. 

What interesting thing about the history of San Francisco 
Bay can we learn from the Indian shell mounds? 

The Indian mounds are made up of refuse shells and bones 
where the Indians used to gather for their feasts. The bottoms of 
two of these, one in Shell Alound Park and the other known as the 
Ellis Mound near Richmond, are about thirteen feet below high tide. 

This interesting fact teaches us that since the Indians first came 
here the land about San Francisco Bay has sunken. Long ago the 
land stood so much higher that there was no ba}'- at all, and the 
Sacramento River flowed through fertile valleys out to sea. Its 
mouth was then outside the Farallone Islands, for the water between 
them and the shore is now so shallow that if the land should rise 
200 feet they would become a part of the mainland. 

How has the sinking of the land made San Francisco Ba}' 

the Gateway to California? 

AVe have already learned that the Sacramento is the largest 
river wholly in California and that it drains all the central part. 
When the land sank the sea came in through the Golden Gate and 
flooded the river valley entirely across the Coast Ranges and into 
the Great Valley so that the tide is now felt as far as Sacramento 
and Stockton. 

The sea also flooded the adjoining valleys of the Coast Ranges 
so that boats can go to Petaluma, to Napa, and almost to San Jose. 
Thus the sinking of the land opened a gate from the ocean through 
the coast mountains into the heart of California, making nearly half 
of the state easil)^ accessible to trade and commerce. 

Why was it that this great bay remained so long undiscovered ? 
If you should sail along the coast on some foggy day when the 
shore was indistinct, it would be the easiest thing in the world to 
go past San Francisco Bay and not see its narrow entrance. This 
is probably the reason why Drake in 1579, and Vizcaino in 1602, 
sailed past the Golden Gate and anchored in a little bay a few miles 
to the northwest, which is now known as Drake's Bay. 

How is it that the Strait of Carquinez, although an obstacle 
to land travel, is yet of great importance commercially? 
The Strait of Carquinez, Suisun Bay, and the marshes to the 

east are a serious barrier to rail and wagon roads. One of the 

largest ferry boats in the world is used to carry trains across this 

strait between Benicia and Port Costa. 



CALIFORNIA 



115 



The strait is of great importance because the large sea-going 
ships can come up through the bay as far as this point and receive 
their cargoes direct from the vast grainfields of the Great Valley. 
Here lumber is brought from the coast ports for trans-shipment to 
the interior. Here grain is made into flour to be shipped abroad. 
Here are sugar refineries and smelters. 

No other place in all California is destined to become of so 
great importance commercially because of the favorable situation 
for interchange of foreign and home products and for manufac- 
turing. 

How can we account for the many different sorts of climate 
within a few miles of San Francisco? 

The gap in the mountains through which the Sacramento River 
reaches the ocean permits its cool winds to reach far inland. Dur- 
ing the long days of summer the air of the Great Valley becomes 
very hot. This makes it lighter and it rises. Then the heavier sea 
air rushes in to take its place. This creates a strong wind which 
in San Francisco and on the bay is so sharp that an overcoat is 
sometimes comfortable in the middle of summer. This wind is like 
the draught in a great fireplace. 

Although the summer climate of San Francisco and the adjoin- 
ing bay region is sometimes unpleasantly cool, it is nevertheless 
healthful and invigorating. Most fruits and vegetables thrive in the 
damp air, but some require more sunshine and warmth. 




San Francisco Bay and Mt. Tamalpais from the Berkeley Hills. This bay 
was formed by a sinking of the land. 



116 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



We will now take a train from San Francisco and go either 
south behind the protecting ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, or 
cross the bay to Sausalito and go north behind the Mt. Tamalpais 
Ridge, or eastward from Oakland through the Contra Costa Hills, 
and in less than an hour we are in a climate so different that we 
are almost ready to believe that we have been suddenly transported 
hundreds of miles. In the valleys which we have reached on our 
short journeys there is often fog at night, but the days are \varm 
and sunny. Vineyards and orchards of many kinds of fruit are all 
about us, and w^e even see orange trees with their golden fruit. 

We must not expect the winters about San Francisco to be cold 
because the summers are. The days of fall, winter and spring are 
often warmer than those of summer, although the nights may be 
frosty. 

During the winter there is no strong sea wind. This is the 
season for storm winds which blow from different directions. 

What important effect did the making of San Francisco Bay 
have upon the bordering country? 

1. Much fertile valley land was flooded: Several hundred 
square miles of the best valley land was overflowed by the sea 
when San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun Bays were formed. The 
value of the waterway opened for ships into the very heart of Cali- 




Looking in through Golden Gate from Fort Point. 



CALIFORNIA 



ii: 



fornia is, however, much greater than that of the land that was 
lost. Besides this the remaining land was made more valuable be- 
cause of the great population attracted here by the advantages for 
manufacturing, trade and commerce. 

2. The sinking of the land led to the building of river deltas: 
The delta lands of the Great Valley which were made by the Sac- 
ramento and San Joaquin Rivers as they filled up the ancient Sui- 
sun Bay are larger in area than all three of the bays which we 
have mentioned, and will some time support a great population. 

The formation of this delta with all its rich acres is directly due 
to the sinking of the land. If it had not been for the large body 
of water forming the ancient bay, the mud or silt which the rivers 
brought down from the mountains would not have been dropped 
and the delta would not have been formed. The silt would have 
been carried on to the ocean and lost to us. 

The Columbia River pours its muddy flood directly into the 
ocean, discoloring the water for many niiles out, for it has no quiet 
water in which to drop its load of silt. The Colorado, about which 
we shall learn later, has formed thousands of square miles of the 
richest land in the head of the ancient Gulf of California. 

3. About San Francisco and San Pablo Bays are tidal marshes 
where great numbers of ducks and other water birds are found: 
Tidal marshes border much of the lowland about San Francisco and 
San Pablo Bays, and fill their many coves and arms. A part of this 
overflow land is bare mud at low tide and a part is covered with 
salt water grasses. Some day the water will be shut out of the 
marshes by dikes and the rich soil will be cultivated. 




The vast stretch of the Suisun marshes — the delta of 

Joaquin Rivers. 



the Sacramento-San 



118 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



Untold numbers of ducks once stopped in the marshes upon 
their migrations to the north or south. They have been hunted so 
much that they are now nearly gone. Greater protection must be 
extended to these game birds or we shall lose them entirely. 

Tidal channels were formed which are very useful for the trans- 
portation of produce to market from the surrounding valleys. If 
you will examine the map of San Francisco and San Pablo Bays you 
will see small streams leading through the marshes to Petaluma, 
Napa, San Rafael and Alviso. Each of these is the Avater outlet of an 
important valley or town. 

These streams are, however, too small to be used by boats if 
it were not for the tide. At high tide they are deep enough for 
small steamers which carry on an important business, especially with 
the two towns first mentioned. 

How has the presence of San Francisco Bay influenced the 
settlement and occupation of the people in the region 
about ? 

1. Since San Francisco Bay is so safe and commodious it has 
become an important commercial centei' : San Francisco Bay lies 
almost midway between San Diego in the south and Puget Sound 
in the north. In most respects it is the best harbor upon the Pacific 
Coast. Because of its position and character a large part of our 
commerce with the countries of the Pacific Ocean must come here. 

Since San Francisco Bay is such a favorable point for ships 
to take and discharge cargoes, railroads were needed to bring freight 




Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, one of the most beautiful 
buildings in the world. 



CALIFORNIA 119 

and distribute it over the country. Then manufactured products of 
many kinds found a market here as well as a distributing point 
and so great plants were erected to do all kinds of work. 

All these things required much labor and so thousands of peo- 
ple came. Towns and cities sprang up, the largest of which is San 
Francisco. 

2. The growth of a great population on San Francisco Bay 
is also favored by the open route into the interior: If there had 
been a lofty mountain range between San Francisco Bay and the 
interior it would not have become an important center of commerce. 
As it is, however, large ocean boats can go up through the Coast 
Ranges to the Strait of Carquinez, where they can receive direct 
the produce of thousands of acres of fertile land. 

3. The coming of a great population makes the bay region an 
important market center: The people of the cities which are grow- 
ing up about San Francisco Ba)^ need large quantities of food. If 
we. turn either to the north, to the east, or to the south, we find rich 
valleys branching out from the bay in which food supplies of all 
sorts are grown. From these valleys produce can be quickly and 
cheaply sent to market, either by boat or by railroad. 

The needs of the cities determine also the sort of farming car- 
ried on in the adjoining valleys. Vast quantities of fresh fruits 
and vegetables are required every day by the cities of the bay 
region and the}" must be raised near by so that the}^ will be fresh 
and cheap. 

Consequently the most important farming carried on is garden- 
ing and truck farming', the raising of chickens and the growing of 
small fruits and berries of all sorts. 

4. The marsh lands favor the making of salt: About Alva- 
rado upon the eastern side of San Francisco Bay there are exten- 
sive plants for the making of salt from sea water. At high tide the 
water is allowed to flow into large, shallow ponds. Then the open- 
ings are closed until the water has partly evaporated. This is re- 
peated until a strong brine is formed. The salt finally crystallizes 
on the bottom and is shoveled out. 

5. The sinking of the land favored the growth of important 
fishing industries: When the land stood so high that the shore 
line was outside the Farallone Islands there was little shallow water 
along the coast of California, for the bottom descended rapidly to 
the deep Pacific. 

When the land sank, the lowlands along the coast were sub- 
merged, making the continental plateau or shelf over which the 
water was shallow. 

As nearly all the food fishes which the fishermen get either by 
means of hooks and lines or by nets live in shallow water, the sink- 
ing of the land gave an opportunity for a vast increase in the num- 
bers of fish along our shores and in the bays which were formed. 

Many hundreds of men are engaged in catching fish for the 
San Francisco market and for shipment into the interior. 



120 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



The Santa Clara-San Benito Valley; Once a Wild, Oak - Dotted 

Park, But Now a Garden of Fruits and Flowers: The 

Largest and Richest of All the Coast Range Valleys. 

Santa Clara is sometimes called the Garden Valley. In the 
spring" a flower festiA'al is held at which time hundreds of square 
miles of blossoming prune trees present a wonderful sight. In 
summer the vast seed farms with their man}- colored flowers present 
an equally pretty sight. 

The Santa Clara and San Benito Valleys are really one, for 
as you go southeasterly from San Jose you cannot tell when you 
leave Santa Clara and enter San Benito Valley. They lie end to 
end just as do the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, but while 
the two latter drain through one common outlet to the ocean, the 
two former are separated b}- a slight watershed. Santa Clara Val- 
ley drains into San Francisco Bay, and San Benito Valley empties 
through the Pajaro River into Monterey Bay. 

In the heart of Santa Clara Valley lies the Mission of Santa 
Clara. For many years the park-like region about it served only 
for grazing cattle. Then with the coming of more settlers grain 
growing became the important industry. Now the valley has be- 
come a garden of fruits and floAvers. Three miles to the eastward 
of the mission and town of Santa Clara lies the city of San Jose. 
This city, like Los Angeles, was founded as a Spanish Presidio. 
The city is only eight miles from the end of the southern arm of 
San Francisco Bay, with which it will some day be connected by 
canal. 




Point Reyes; one of the most dangerous points on the coast of California. 



CALIFORNIA 



121 



Near the northern end of the valley and on the west side of 
San Francisco Bay is Stanford University, with its beautiful build- 
ings in the old Spanish style. 

The climate of the whole valley is agreeable, for the Santa 
Cruz Mountains partly break the cool ocean winds, and we find 
growing here almost every sort of fruit that California produces. 

The Russian River and Santa Rosa Valleys: A Favored Region 

Whose Beauty, Climate and Fertility Have Made It 

Known Far and Wide. 

The Russian River and Santa Rosa Valleys occupy about the 
same position north of San Francisco Bay that the Santa Clara and 
San Benito Valleys do on the south. The rainfall of these northern 
valleys is, however, greater, but their climate is fully as mild be- 
cause of the shelter offered by the Coast Range between them and 
the ocean. 

Upon either side of the two main valleys are smaller ones, while 
between and back of all are picturesque mountains. Some of their 
slopes are open and grassy and used for grazing cattle and sheep ; 
others are covered with groves of oak, madrone, laurel and redwood. 

The lower hills have been found best suited to the growing 
of grapes, of which there are many thousands of acres. Upon both 
the hill slopes and in the valleys fruits of almost every sort 
found in California are grown in abundance. The lowlands of the 




In a Hopfield, Russian River Valley. 



122 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



middle part of the main valley are noted for their extensive hop 
fields. 

Vineyards, orchards and hop fields are three things for which 
Russian River and Santa Rosa Valleys are famous. Almost equally 
noted is Sebastopol and the region about for its spicy scented graven- 
stine apples which here reach perfection. 

So sunny and free from frost are portions of the lower Russian 
River and Santa Rosa Valleys that oranges and lemons of a good 
quality are now being grown here in commercial quantities. 

Near Santa Rosa, with a favorable climate and soil, Luther 
Burbank has developed his new and valuable plants. 

Many who do not have homes in this pleasant region come here 
for the summer to drink and bathe in the waters of the mineral 
springs, and to camp along the wooded mountain streams. 

Russian River does not continue on southeasterly through Santa 
Rosa Valley and empty into San Francisco Bay, as one would think 
it should, but turns to the west through the hills and empties into 
the ocean. Thus the city of Santa Rosa has grown up, not because 
it has water connection with San Francisco, but because it is in 
the midst of a large and thickly settled valley. The situation is 
somewhat like that of San Jose, although the latter makes some use 
of the port of Alviso, eight miles away. 

At the lower end of Santa Rosa Valley there is a town which, 
like Napa, has become important because it is situated on a creek 




On the beach at Santa Cruz. 



CALIFORNIA 123 

navigable at high tide, thus affording an outlet for produce to San 
Francisco. 

This town, known as Petaluma, is noted as a center of the 
poultry business in California. Cheap freights, a favorable climate 
and well-drained soil have brought this about. 

Sonoma Valley: Where Was Built the Most Northern of the 

Missions. 

If we go easterly from Santa Rosa around a range of moun- 
tains, we come to another valley for which Nature has done much. 
The Mission Fathers thought this a most favored spot and built 
here the last and northernmost of the missions. They set an ex- 
ample for the American farmer, who was to come later, in putting 
out vineyards and orchards. 

Sonoma is widest known for the ~ fact that here in 1846 was 
raised the "Bear Flag" in the first effort to free California from 
■Mexican rule. 

Napa Valley: Sometimes Called "The Beautiful Valley." 

Continuing northeasterly from Sonoma we climb another range 
of mountains and from its summit look down upon a region which 
well deserves the name "Beautiful Valley." Vineyards and orchards 
and comfortable homes lie scattered along the main valley and upon 
the rolling hills Avhich border it, while back of all rise partly for- 
ested mountains. 

The valley extends from San Pablo Bay in a northwesterly direc- 
tion parallel to Russian River, and reaches to the foot of Mt. St. 
Helena, almost half way to Clear Lake. To the northeast many 
mountains and small valleys still have to be passed before we come 
to the Sacramento Valley. 

The attractive scenery, the pleasant climate, which is neither 
too hot nor too cold, the many mineral springs in the mountains, 
and the fact that almost every sort of fruit grows there, makes this 
valley one of the best of the many happy vales of California. 

Napa is the chief town because of its situation upon the Napa 
River, by means of which it receives passengers and freight from 
San Francisco. As we go down the river we pass upon the left the 
towns of Benicia and Vallejo. Benicia was for a time the capital 
of California. Upon the right of the river, where it enters the bay, 
is Mare Island with its navy yard. 

The valleys that lie under the shadow of Alount Diablo. 

From A'allejo we will cross the Strait of Carquinez, and pass- 
ing the town of Martinez, go up to Ygnacio Valley under the shadow 
of Mt. Diablo. On the way Ave pass the spot where John ]\Iuir 
lived, the man who has written so much about our mountains and 
worked so long to preserve their beauty. 

Continuing from Ygnacio Valley around the west side of Mt. 
Diablo through an orchard country, we come to San Ramon Valley, 



124 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



and then the broad Livermore Valley, which lies south of the mouil- 
tain. Now grainfields and orchards line our road until, turning down 
through the picturesque Niles Canon, Ave come out in the Santa 
Clara Valley on the eastern side of the bay. Between this point 
and Oakland we pass through several towns surrounded with veg- 
etable gardens and orchards. 

After the discover)^ of gold the main route from Southern Cali- 
fornia to the mines was along the Camino Real to San Jose. From 
this point it led through Niles Caiion, Livermore Valley, and over 
Livermore Pass. 

Livermore Pass is the lowest gap in the whole length of the 
Coast Ranges except that at Carquinez. One branch of the Southern 
Pacific Railroad now follows the route of the old stage road. 

]\It. Tamalpais and the valleys that nestle about it. 

If we would escape the cool fog of a summer day, all that we 
have to do is to climb or take the scenic railway to the summit of 
Mt. Tamalpais. On its top, 2586 feet above the sea, we are in the 
clear, warm air, while the fog rolls below us like the waves on the 
ocean. Most mountains are colder than the valleys at their base, 
but it is just the reverse on all the high mountains which rise along 
our coast. 

When the fog has gone, the whole bay region lies spread out 
before us like a map. We see the islands, the peninsulas, the coves 
with their mud flats and winding tidal streams, the towns, boats and 
other signs of the presence of men. 

On the south of Mt. Tamalpais is Muir Woods, a national park 
with its grove of great redM^ood trees. Close under the highest 




Mt. Diablo, from Walnut Creek. 



CALIFORNIA 125 

peak are Ross and Mill Valleys with homes set among redwoods, 
while farther away is San Rafael. 

From the western shoulder of the mountain we look down upon 
the bay and town of Bolinas, and away beyond them Point Reyes 
may be seen extending- far out into the ocean. Southward are the 
Marin Hills, covered with dair}^ cattle, and beyond them the Gol- 
den Gate. 

Mount Diablo: The great landmark of the Central Coast 
Ranges. 

As we cross the Great Valley in the direction of San Francisco, 
the first thing that attracts our attention is Mt. Diablo with its dou- 
ble peaks standing up all alone. From its top nearly 4000 feet above 
the sea there is a magnificent view reaching to the snowy mountains 
far to the east and north. 

Mt. Diablo is also interesting because it is the point from which 
all land measurements in Central and Northern California start. Mt. 
San Bernardino is used as a base for measuring the lands of South- 
ern California. 

The Santa Cruz Moiuitain region: Renowned for its red- 
wood forests and its agreeable summer climate. 

When the Santa Cruz Mountains are mentioned, we think of 
camping among the redwoods or of pleasant homes on the moun- 
tain slopes with orchards of apples set about them. 

The cutting of the redwood forests has been an important in- 
dustry for many years in this region. Now people have come to 
love these trees and the finest remaining forest has been set aside 
by the state for public use and named Sempervirens Park. 

Along the ocean side of the mountains the broad, grassy slopes 
and cool air make dairying an important industry. Upon the east- 
ern and southern slopes there are orchards of different kinds of fruit, 
the apple being the most important. 

The city of Santa Cruz attracts many summer visitors because 
of the fine sea bathing. Others spend their summers in the redwoods 
back of the city or at Half Moon Bay and Pescadero. 

The Mt. Hamilton Range : The seat of the Lick Observatory. 

Those who study the stars must have clear air for their work, 
and as there is so much fog and haze in the air of the lowlands it 
is better for them to resort to some mountain top. For this reason 
the Lick Observatory was placed upon Mt. Hamilton, whose summit 
is 4209 feet above the sea. 

Mount Hamilton is the highest peak of the lofty range which 
shuts in Santa Clara Valley on the east. From its summit we look 
across a sea of mountains to the San Joaquin Valley. In this rugged 
region the slopes are steep, the valleys are small and the rainfall 
becomes less the farther we go from the ocean. For these reasons 
few people live here and they are engaged in stock raising. 



126 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



The islands of San Francisco Bay. 

When the land sank and San Francisco Bay was formed, several 
of the hills which rose in the valley of the ancient Sacramento River 
were entirely surrounded by water and made into islands. Others 
were just covered by the water and formed reefs very dangerous to 
ships until they were blown out by powder. 

Angel Island is the largest and is used as a quarantine station. 
Here people infected with disease are landed from the ships and arc 
kept isolated until danger of contagion is past. Alcatraz lies di- 
rectly in the middle of the entrance to the bay and is used as a 
fort and military prison. Goat Island has a lighthouse and naval 
training" station. 

The beginnings of San Francisco. 

It was not until 1775, six years after Portola had looked down 
from the Santa Cruz Mountains, that the first ship entered it. The 
commander of the San Carlos established a camp on Angel Island 
and explored the shores as far as the mouth of the Sacramento River. 

In 1776, the very year of our Declaration of Independence, the 
Spaniards chose a rocky point overlooking the bay for a presidio. 
This place is now known as Fort Point. 

A spot for the Mission Dolores was selected in a little valley 



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The San Francisco water front. 



CALIFORNIA 127 

lying two miles to the south and midway between the ocean and 
the bay. 

After a time a little settlement sprang- up on the shore of a 
cove on the eastern side of the peninsula about four miles from the 
mission. This was named Yerba Buena, after a fragrant mint which 
grew among- the bushes on the sandy slopes. As late as the year 
1846 the population amounted to less than two hundred. 

Everything- quickly changed after the discovery of gold. The 
quiet bay became alive with the shipping of every nation and the 
little village of Yerba Buena grew mto the city of San Francisco 
almost in a night. In July, 1848, five hundred square rig-ged ships 
lay anchored ofif Llontgomery street. 

The appearance of the bay and city in 1849. 

Bayard Taylor, a noted writer who came by the Isthmus, says : 
"We are in front of the entrance to San Francisco Bay. The moun- 
tains on the northern side are 3000 feet high and come down boldly 
to the sea. As the view opens through the splendid strait, three or 
four miles in width, the island rock of Alcatraz appears glistening 
in the distance. High through the vapor in front, and thirty miles 
distant, rises the peak of ]\It. Diablo, which overlooks everything 
between the Sierra Nevadas and the ocean. At last we are through 
the Golden Gate — fit name for such a magnificent portal to the com- 
merce of the Pacific. Yerba Buena Island (now Goat Island) is in 
front; southward and westward opens the renowned harbor, crowded 
with the shipping of the world, the flags of all nations fluttering in 
the breeze. Around the curving shore of the bay and upon the sides 
of three hills, the town is planted and seems scarcely yet to have 
taken root, for tents, canvas, plank, mud and adobe houses are min- 
gled together with the least apparent attempt at order and dura- 
bihty." 

How San Francisco appeared in 1854. 

A few years later another writer says of San Francisco: "Many 
parts of the city have now the appearance of an old town and, in 
passing through them, one often forgets that he is not in New York 
or Boston. The crowds on the sidewalk, the rattle of trays, the 
display of hacks, the roll of omnibuses, the ringing of bells, the 
fruit stands on the corners of the streets, the cries of various ped- 
dlers of small wares and nicknacks, the long wharves loaded with 
merchandise, and the spacious harbor dotted all over and alive with 
the shipping of every clime, indicate a city the origin of which 
might be covered with the dusts of time. But this is San Francisco 
and these are the evidences of its energy and thrift, in the fifth year 
of its existence." 

Where did the people of San Francisco obtain their food 

supplies during the gold excitement? 

We have learned that during the Spanish period very little land 
was cultivated because there was no market for produce. For some 
time after the discovery of gold few people could be induced to Avork 



128 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



the farms or assist in the growing of fruits and vegetables, which 
were so much needed. All who could do so, left their work, no mat- 
ter what it was, and started for the mines where they hoped to 
get rich. 

Vegetables and tropical fruits were brought from the Sandwich 
Islands, apples and pears from South America, butter, cheese, eggs 
and bacon from New York and Boston, and a large variety of cured 
provisions from China. Ice was brought from Boston and from the. 
Alaskan Coast. Large quantities of gulls' eggs were collected along 
the coast and used in the place of hens' eggs. 

In the course of a few years, however, many men left mining 
and went back to farming. In the gardens of the Sacramento and 
Santa Clara Valleys vegetables of all sorts began to be grown, al- 
though prices remained high for a long time. 

Ho^v is it that San Francisco, having so many natural ad- 
vantages, had not become an important place before the 
discovery of gold? 

San Diego, Los Angeies, 
Santa Barbara and Monte- 
rey were old towns before 
there was any settlement 
except a mission and fort 
where San Francisco now 
stands. The bay region was 
on the outskirts of the set- 
tled portions of California 
and, although there were 
a few ranchos along its 
shores, the vast country to 
the north and east was al- 
most uninhabited except for 
the Indians. 

There was here, then, 
nothing to support a town ; 
there was no business and 
no occasion for ships to en- 
ter the bay, since they could 
neither dispose of goods nor 
carry any away. The Span- 
iards who lived comfortably 
upon their great ranchos 
were satisfied with things 
as they were and did not 
try to build up the set- 
tlements or trade of the 
country. 

When gold was dis- 

T 1- J Ti/r 1 .. ts^ X covered everything was 

Looking down Market Street, , , X ^ ^ ^ „ 

San Francisco. changed. San Fran- 




CALIFORNIA 



129 



cisco was found to be the only large and safe harbor within reach 
of the mines, and for thousands who came by water, the bay and 
river ofifered a convenient way for continuing their journey almost 
to their destination. 

How is it that the most important city of the bay region is 

situated upon a long", narrow peninsula instead of upon 

the Contra Costa or Marin shores? 

The Mission and Presidio were established upon the peninsula 
because, in the first place, they could be reached directly by land 
from the older settlements to the south, and in the second place, 
the situation was a commanding one at the very entrance to the bay. 

The little cove where the town of Yerba Buena sprang up of- 
fered the best landing for boats and was the most protected from 
storms of any spot near by and was also close to the entrance to 
the bay. Upon one side of the little bay the land rose very steeply 
to Telegraph Hill, but upon the other sides the slopes were gentle 
and suited to build upon. 

Although the water is deep close to the Marin shore, there is 
no room there upon the lowland for the growth of a great city, for 
the hills rise steeply almost from the water's edge. 

The Contra Costa shore is, on the contrary, broad and gently 
sloping, but the water is in most places very shallow for a long dis- 
tance out and large boats cannot come close to the land. 

What are the disadvantages in the situation of San Fran- 
cisco and how can they be overcome? 
San Francisco lies at the northern end of a long, narrow pen- 







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Stow Lake, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. 



130 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



insula and can be reached by land only from the south. There is, 
then, but one direction in which it can grow. Freight and passen- 
gers coming and going in other directions have to be transferred 
by ferries across the bay. To meet this need large and comfortable 
boats are run to Alameda, Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Sausalito 
and Tiburon. 

In order that the thousands of people who have their homes 
on the Contra Costa side, but whose business is in San Francisco, 
may cross the bay more quickly and safely, it is proposed to build 
a tunnel under the bay. That freight may reach and be sent from 
the city more easily, a railroad has been built across the southern 
arm of the bay. 

For what is San Francisco particularly interesting? 




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City Hall, Oakland. 



The rise of San 
PVancisco from a lit- 
tle hamlet of a few 
houses to a great 
city during the gold 
excitement is a story 
more wonderful than 
that of any other 
city in our country. 

San Francisco is 
interesting because 
of its commanding 
and picturesque sit- 
uation. From the 
hills over which it 
has spread 'there is 
a view of the sea, 
of the bay and of 
the mountains be- 
yond. 

Because- of the 
fresh sea winds the 
climate of San Fran- 
cisco is equable and 
healthful. There is 
but little difiference 
in the average tem- 
perature between 
winter and summer, 
that of winter being 
51 degrees and of 
summer 59 degrees 
Fahrenheit. 

Because of the wa- 
ter upon three sides, 
the city cannot grow 



CALIFORNIA 131 

in those directions and so must expand toward the south. The excel- 
lent suburban railways now permit people to work in the city and 
yet have their homes in the beautiful region along the foot of the 
Santa Cruz Mountains, a region of which San Mateo is the center. 

Golden Gate Park is one of the largest and most attractive in 
our country. It has an interesting museum and zoological garden. 
On the south of the park are the buildings of the Affiliated Colleges 
with a valuable museum of ethnology. On the north of the park 
are the extensive groimds of the Presidio overlooking the Golden 
Gate. 

On the west is the ocean and Seal Rocks, Sutro Park and 
Baths, and a fine stretch of sandy beach to which crowds of people 
resort on warm days. 

At the western end of the former grounds of the Panama Pa- 
cific Exposition is situated the Palace of Fine Arts. This building, 
with its magnificent colonnade and rotunda in front, is one of the 
finest architectural monuments in the United States. 

San Francisco is interesting also for the many races of people 
which it contains and especially for its Chinese quarter. 

The rebuilding of the city after the earthquake and lire 
of 1906. 

Few cities in the world have suffered such destruction from 
earthquake and fire as did San Francisco in 1906. Since that time 
the city has risen again in a manner almost as wonderful as that 
of the days of "49." Miles of magnificent buildings have taken the 
place of those destroyed. They have been strongly built and there 
is little danger to be feared from future earthquakes and fires. A 
group of the finest of the new buildings, including the city hall, 
library and civic auditorium, haA^e been built about the new Civic 
Center. 

What are the most important industries of San Francisco? 

San Francisco early became an important center for the manu- 
facture of mining machinery because large quantities Avere needed 
in the region which was tributary to it. 

As we might expect, shipbuilding has been carried on exten- 
sively because of the great demand for boats and the abundance 
of suitable timber in the forests of the coast. The Union Iron 
Works has built many of the battleships and cruisers for the United 
States Navy. 

Because San Francisco is advantageously situated for shipping" 
goods in every direction, many manufactories have sprung up. One 
of the largest canning factories in the world is found here. 

Although the bay region has already become a very important 
manufacturing center, the future greatness of San Francisco will be 
based mainly upon commerce, which will some day rival in import- 
ance that of the city of New York. 



132 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



The cities of the Contra Costa shore. 

In 1850, after San Francisco had become an important place, 
attention was directed toward the Contra Costa shore, where an 
old Spanish soldier by the name of Peralta had a grant of land of 
many thousands of acres. 

The water of the Contra Costa shore is so shallow that large 
ships cannot approach it, but have to be accommodated by very 
long wharves. There is, however, at one place an estuary extend- 
ing some distance into the land in which the water was in the early 
days deep enough for ships of modeate size. Back of the estuary 
there was a broad expanse of gently sloping land, reaching to the 
hills, which were covered with a picturesque grove of oaks. This 
was believed to be a good situation for a town and because of the 
oaks the new place was called Oakland. 

Oakland did not become a place of importance until after the 
building of the railroads. Then the need of a good harbor was felt 
and the creek or estuary was deepened until it could accommodate 
vessels of large size. Oakland harbor has now become important 
and is lined with shipping and manufactories. 

At the head of the estuary, in the edge of the hills, is a body 
of water open to the tide and known as Lake Merritt. This has 
been made the center of a beautiful park. 

One of the most striking' and attractive buildings in all the 
West is the new city hall of Oakland, M'hich towers above every- 
thing else and can be seen for many miles. 

On the opposite side of the estuary from Oakland is the city 
of Alameda, situated upon what is now an island because of the cut- 
ting of a canal across the neck of the peninsula. Alameda is dis- 
tinguished as a city of homes. 

Berkeley lies north of Oakland and directly opposite the Gold- 
en Gate. It extends from the bay across a gently sloping plain 
and part way up the Contra Costa hills. The city has gTown up 




The Civic Center, San Francisco. Library on left, 



CALIFORNIA 



133 



about the State University, which has now become one of the larg- 
est in the United States. 

The situation of Berkeley was, then, determined by the Univer- 
sity, and the University was located here because of the beautiful 
oak-covered slope at the mouth of Strawberry Cafion, which faces 
directly across the bay toward the Golden Gate and Mt. Tamalpais. 

The most striking monuments upon the University grounds are 
the great Campanile with its chime of bells, and the Greek Theatre. 

Because of their pleasant situation and mild climate, Alameda, 
Oakland and Berkeley all became noted early in their history as 
cities of homes. The attractions of this region along the foot of 
the Contra Costa Hills and the convenient local trains and ferries 
have led thousands of people who do business in San Francisco to 
make their homes on the east side of the bay. 

The youngest city about the bay is Richmond, which is situated 
north of Berkeley near Point Richmond. A city has grown up here 
because of deep water near by and the coming of the Santa Fe Rail- 
road. It is becoming an important manufacturing place. 

What has made it possible for the region about San Fran- 
cisco Bay to become the most important manufacturing 
center in the West? 

. We have already learned what important advantages San Fran- 
cisco Bay offers for trade and commerce. For a city or region to 
become noted for its manufactures it must first of all be easily ac- 
cessible so that raw material can be shipped to it cheaply and the 
finished products sent away to market. It must also have cheap 
and abundant power for running machinery. 

The fact that there is very little coal in California, and the long 
distance that materials had to be brought, delayed the early growth 
of manufacturing, but now all has changed. 




Civic Auditorium in middle, and City Hall at right. 



134 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



The opening of the Panama Canal now enables us to bring ma- 
terials from the East and Europe cheaply and quickly. 

We no longer need to depend upon coal for fuel, for crude oil, 
which is cheaper and suitable for nearly every purpose for which 
coal is used, is now brought hundreds of miles from the oil fields 
and delivered upon the bay shore. 

In order to use water power for running mills, it was once nec- 
essary to place the mills by the streams. This would have been very 
inconvenient in California, for most of the streams that furnish 
power are far away in the mountains. 

Now the unlimited power in the far-away cafions is turned into 
electric energy and carried in copper cables to the points where it 
is convenient to use it. Electricity from the mountains runs thou- 
sands of street cars in the cities about the bay, furnishes lights in 
our homes, and does much other work. 



SUMMARY. 

The Coast Ranges have had an important influence upon the 
discovery, settlement and growth of Central California. 

The direction of the mountains and valleys had made travel up 
and down the coast easy, but in most places difficult from the coast 
toward the interior. 

The level of the land has always been changing. At one time 
:t was higher, at another time lower, than it is now. 

The present position of the land has resulted in only one deep 




Oakland business center from Lake Merritt. 



CALIFORNIA 



135 



land-locked bay and harbor suited to foreign commerce, and that 
one is San Francisco, situated where the Sacramento River has 
broken through the mountains. 

Because of the absence of other good harbors with openings 
into the interior, population, trade and manufacturing have centered 
about the bay region. 

The climate, w^hile generally agreeable, varies greatly. In the 
northwest it is very wet. In the southeast it is very dry, partly be- 
cause there are fewer severe storms and partly because the high 
mountains near the coast cut off the moist winds. 

The various kinds of climate and the extent of the fertile lands 
suited to cultivation have determined the settlement and develop- 
ment as well as the sort of industries carried on in the Coast Range 
region. 

On the coast dairying is the most important. Next comes a 
broad belt in which fruit growing is the most important industry 
and where the most people are found. Still farther toward the inte- 
rior grain largely replaces fruit. In those valleys where it is very 
dry, as well as upon the mountain slopes too steep for farming, 
stock raising is the leading business. 

The situation of San Francisco has natural advantages which 
have made it the chief commercial and manufacturing city in Cali- 
fornia. 

The valleys which extend back from San Francisco Bay have a 
delightful climate and with their many advantages have become 
thickly settled. 




Shipping on Oakland water front. 



136 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

REVIEW EXERCISES. 

Why was the exploration of the Coast Ranges difficult from the 
ocean and easy from the land? 

What things lead us to believe the level of the land has changed ? 

How is produce shipped from the rocky north coast? 

How do men often make harbors where Nature has made none? 

Why do the mountain ranges near the coast afifect the climate of 
the interior? 

In what part of the Coast Ranges are the most valleys? 

In what part are the fewest? 

Tell where the most important forests are, and why. 

What are the most important trees? 

Explain how the climate affects the industries in different parts. 

W^hy is the interior of the North Coast Ranges thinly settled? 

Why are there few people in the interior of the Southern Coast 
Ranges? 

By what routes can one reach Eureka? What are the leading in- 
dustries in the vicinity? 

Trace the route of the Camino Real and tell what towns are situ- 
ated on it. 

Tell what you can about mineral springs. 

What was the important occupation in the early days? Why is 
farming so dift'crent today? 

Describe the two most important mineral substances found in the 
Coast Ranges. 

Why did not towns grow^ up about all the missions? 

How do we know that the land has been sinking recently about 
San Francisco Bay? Where was the mouth of the Sacramento 
River before the land sank? 

Explain how the climate of San Francisco differs from that of the 
valleys about the bay, AVhat is the cause of the cool winds on 
the bay in summer? 

Explain the importance of the Strait of Carquinez. 

A\^h3^ did not the Russians maintain their settlement in California? 

What are the advantages and what the disadvantages of the posi- 
tion of San Francisco? Why did the greatest city of the bay 
region grow up here? 

Why did not Monterey early become a great cit}'? 

What are the advantages of water transportation? What are the 
advantages of the situation of Petaluma and Napa? 

Tell how tidal marshes are formed. How do they finally become 
dry land? 

]\Iention some of the important food fishes and tell where each is 
caught. 

What determined the site of Oakland; of Berkeley; of Richmond? 

How are buildings constructed in San Francisco to make them proof 
against earthquakes? 

Where does San Francisco obtain its fuel and electric power? 

How do the needs of the cities about the bay aft'ect agriculture in 
the surrounding valleys? 



CALIFORNIA 



137 



^Vhat are the advantages of the region south of San Francisco for 
suburban homes? What are the advantages of the Contra Costa 
shore ? 

PRACTTCAL LESSONS. 

The sort of coast hne which a country has exerts a great influence 
upon its settlement and development. 

A sunken land has usually many good harbors. 

Mountains extending along a coast break the ocean winds, making 
the interior drier and hotter than if the mountains were absent. 

The climate of a country determines the sort of farming carried 
on in it. 

Cities grow up where there arc opportunities for trade and man- 
ufacture. 

The needs of a great city determine the leading farming industries 
in the vicinity. 




The Campanile on the University grounds 
at Berkeley. 



CHAPTER VL 

The Sierra Nevada Mountains: The Last Barrier Which the Gold 

Seekers Had to Cross: A Region of Such Vast Importance 

to California that Without it the State Could Never 

Have Become What It Is. 

Introduction. 

The Sierra Nevada forms the greatest mountain range in the 
United States. It is nearly 400 miles long with an average width 
of 60 miles. It has many peaks over 14,000 feet high, and Mt. Whit- 
ney, the highest in our country outside of Alaska, rises to 14,502 feet. 

The range has a long, gentle westward slope, so that all the 
larg'e rivers flow toward the sea. The eastern slope is very abrupt 
and the streams descend rapidly to the desert valleys of the Great 
Basin. 

Nearly all the rivers flow through deep carions and the only 
large valleys are near the northern end of the range. 

The Sierras are noted for their gold deposits, for the wonderful 
forests and for their grand scenery. 

How Fremont found that there was a lofty mountain range 
between the Great Central Valley of California and the 
deserts of the interior. 

We call General Fremont "The Pathfinder" because he made so 
many discoveries in the West. Because of an incorrect map he 
nearly lost his life while exploring what is now Nevada. The map 
which he had showed a river rising in the Rocky Mountains and 
flowing westward into San Francisco Bay. Thinking it would be 
easy to follow down the river and spend the winter in the pleasant 
valleys of California, he set out with his party to search for it. 

For weeks they hunted in vain and at last gave up when they 
found a range of snow-covered mountains extending across the 
place where the river was supposed to be. After a long struggle 
over the snowy summits of these mountains, and when nearly dead 
from starvation and cold, they succeeded in reaching the green fields 
of the Sacramento Valley. 

How different the story of our state would have been if the 
river that appeared upon the map Fremont used had really existed. 
There would then have been no Carson Desert to cross. The Don- 
ner party would not have been caught in the snows, and the Death 
Valley expedition would have kept the main Salt Lake trail, for 
they would have had no lofty snow-covered Sierras to fear. The 
Central Pacific Railroad would have had an easy route to Sacra- 
mento and would have escaped the long grades and the many miles 
of snow sheds over the summit. 

Could the emigrants seeking the gold fields have escaped the 
Sierras by going around them? 
Now let us see if the emigrants coming by the main overland 



140 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



trail could have reached the Sacramento Valley by any easier route 
than that over Donner Pass. 

As they approached California the wall of snowy mountains 
rose directly across their path and extended to the north and south 
as far as they could see. This was the last and most serious obsta- 
cle on the whole journey from the Mississippi Valley to the Land 
of Promise. 

If the emigrants had turned northward they would have found 
another gap in the mountains called Beckwith Pass. This is less 
snowy, for it is only 5000 feet high, while Donner Pass is 7000 feet, 
but their wagons could not have been taken over the rugged moun- 
tains between the pass and the valley, nor through the cafion of 
Feather River. The Western Pacific Railroad, w^hich makes use of 
both the pass and the cafion, found the latter very difficult to build 
through. 

If the emigrants had turned toward the south they would have 
found the Carson and Sonora Passes higher and more snowy, while 
beyond them the Sierras increased in ruggedness and height for 
300 miles. 

At last, near the southern end of the Sierras, the hearts of the 
travelers would have been gladdened by the sight of Walker Pass, 
a low gap in the crest leading across to the South Fork of the Kern 
River. The rugged cafion of the river would, however, have stop- 
ped them just as did Feather River Cafion far to the north. 

Continuing their search thev would have reached the Mohave 




Tuolumne Table Mountain (lava) under which the miners found the gold- 
bearing gravel of an ancient river, 



CALIFORNIA 141 

Desert Avherc the Sierras bend toward the west and join the Coast 
Ranges. Traveling across its sandy wastes they would have come 
at last to the Tehachapi and Tejon Passes, through which they could 
without much difficulty reach the San Joaquin Valley. 

After all this search for an easy and direct way over the moun- 
tains, do you not think that the emigrants selected the best way 
when they chose Donner Pass? 

By what simple means did the early miners get their gold? 

The discovery of gold was an accident. Marshall, while build- 
ing a mill race in Eldorado County, saw the shining grains in the 
sands of the ditch, Gold was found later in nearly all the creeks 
and rivers flowing through the foothills of the Sierras. The niHers 
soon learned that as this metal is much heavier than the gravel 
they must look for the shining yellow grains on the "bedrock" at 
the bottom of the gravel. 

The only tools needed were a pick, shovel and "rocker." The 
gravel was shoveled into the rocker and, while the latter was moved 
back and forth with a motion like that of a cradle, water was 
poured in. In this way the lighter materials were washed away 
and the gold was left upon the bottom. 

If the miner had some quicksilver and boards he made some 
"sluice boxes," nailed strips across the bottom and ])etween them 
put a little quicksilver. 

Then he turned a stream of water through the boxes and shov- 
eled in the gravel. The quicksilver seizes and holds the particles 
of gold as they are being washed through. This process is called 
"placer mining." 

After placer mining had been carried on for some time and the 
richest gravels had been dug over, the miners began to search for 
the original home of the gold. They soon traced it to a hard, whit- 
ish mineral called quartz, which forms veins extending through the 
rocks. 

As the rocks crumbled away and left the quartz exposed on the 
surface, it also broke up and, together with the rock fragments, was 
washed down the slopes into the streams. Nature had in this wa}' 
been collecting the placer gold through many thousands of years. 

There was one vein in particular which drew attention because 
of its size and length and this came to be known as the "^lother 
Lode." The vein can be traced for more than 100 miles and has 
scores of mines located on it. 

You can readily see that quartz mining is much more difficult 
than placer mining. Shafts are sunk in the veins or ledges, and 
in this way they are followed far down into the earth. Some of 
the mines on the Mother Lode are more than 3000 feet deep. A\"here 
the veins are found upon the sides of steep hills, tunnels are run 
and the ore is taken out in small cars instead of being hoisted up 
a shaft by a cable. 

In order to separate the gold the quartz is crushed with heavy 
gtamps, after which the yellow grains are collected by the aid of 



142 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

quicksilver on copper plates. When the gold is found in other min- 
erals, such as iron pyrite, the ore is usually roasted in a furnace. 

The large quartz mines employ hundreds of men. Some of 
these men mine the ore, others tend the machinery which raises it 
to the surface, or the mill which crushes it, or prepare the timbers 
of which large numbers are needed to keep the openings from cav- 
ing. Miners, engineers, electricians, chemists, carpenters, wood- 
choppers, teamsters, cooks and store-keepers are needed. These men 
and their families sometimes form a whole town. 

Hov\^ did the miners get the placer gold that was too deep 
for pick and shovel? 

In many parts of the Gold Belt beds of gravel were found which 
were often as much as 100 feet in thickness. They were left by 
great rivers which flowed there long ago. The gold at the bottom 
of these could not be obtained Avith a pick and shovel and so an- 
other method was tried. 

Water was taken out of the rivers by means of ditches far back 
in the mountains and carried around the hills on a gentle slope until 
a point was reached above the mine to be worked. From there it 
was taken down in an iron pipe at the end of which was a "giant" 
with a nozzle. The water was thus directed against the bank with 
such terrific force that it was rapidly washed down. The water car- 
ried the boulders, gravel and sand through sluice boxes where the 
gold was collected. This process is known as Hydraulic Mining. 

As a result of hydraulic mining so much debris was washed into 
the streams that they were choked. They overflowed their banks, 
Avashing gravel and sand over thousands of acres of cultivated lands. 
So much silt reached the Sacramento River that it also began to 




A desert valley in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains; near Walker Pass. 



CALIFORNIA 



143 



grow shallower and navigation was made difficult. A law was ftnally 
passed prohibiting washing the debris into navigable streams. 

What valuable minerals besides gold are found in the Sierras? 

Gold has always been the most important mineral product of the 
Sierras. The silver mines which lie upon the eastern slope are next 
in importance, and after the silver mines come those of copper. 

The granite used in the cities of Central California comes from 
Rocklyn and Raymond. Beautiful marble is found at Sonora and 
quarries of roofing slate have been opened near Placcrville. 

A\^hat determined the situation of the cities and towns of the 
early mining days? 

The situation of the towns of the early mining days were not 
determined by opportunities for trade or manufacturing, as is usually 
the case; nor was it because there were rich farming lands near-by. 

Wherever rich "bars" or "diggings" w^erc found, there the min- 
ers rushed by the thousands and towns sprang up in a day. A town 
might be started upon a steep hillside or in the bottom of a nar- 
row gulch. 

Towns which for a time were all bustle and excitement and 
contained thousands of people, disappeared almost as quickly as 
they had sprung up. Wherever valuable quartz veins were found, 
there some of the miners remained and went to work upon them. 

All through the mining belt are towns which have only a small 
proportion of the inhabitants which they had in the early days. 
Mariposa, Sonora. Angels Camp, San Andreas, Placerville, Grass 
A'^alley, Nevada City and Downieville are among the most important 
of the mining towns which still remain. They are supported now 
largely by farming, and being situated in a region of many attrac- 
tive and fertile valleys will some time again become important places. 




Sierra Valley, the largest of the valleys in the northern Sierras. 



144 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

What effect did the rush for gold have upon other occupations ? 

As long as plenty of gold could be had for the digging, we must 
not be surprised that few people could be found to do any other 
work. Provisions of all kinds were very high because they had to 
be brought such long distances, and often on pack animals over 
rough mountain trails. 

As soon as the best diggings were worked out, many of the 
miners returned to their homes in the East. Others who had not 
succeeded in finding the riches the)" wished turned to farming" and 
often made more money. 

Has mining been a good or a bad thing for the development 
of the foothill region? 

We ma}'- say that while mining made California a great and 
prosperous state in a very short time, yet it left the gold regions 
poor and thinly peopled. None of those who flocked to the mines 
expected to make their homes there and so did not attempt perma- 
nent improvements. 

When miners began to leave 1)}- the thousands, business of all 
kinds suffered. The merchant could not sell his goods. The farmer 
could find few to take his produce. Although the quartz mines 
finally came to employ a good many men, their number was small 
compared with those who had been there. 

The towns became almost empty, the cultivated fields were 
turned into pastures, and the country took on a deserted look. Many 
thousands of acres of the best land along the streams had been de- 
stroyed in the search for gold and the barren rock piles added to 
the desolate appearance of the country. Even now dredgers are at 
work in the streams wdiere they enter the Sacramento Valley turn- 
ing upside down the fertile bottom lands. We need the minerals 
which the miner digs from the earth, but the appearance of the 
country in a mining district is never as fair and pleasant to look 
upon as that of a farming district. The miner's work is not per- 
manent. His success does not depend upon the preservation of Na- 
ture's gifts, but upon how quickly and cheaply he can get hold of 
her store. The work of the lumberman is similar, for he leaves the 
countr)^ desolate. 

The success of the farmer, on the contrary, depends upon the 
care which he takes of the trees, the water and the soil. He goes 
to a country hoping to make his permanent home there and so does 
everything he can to make his surroundings comforta1>le and at- 
tractive. 

What influence has kmibering upon the development of the 
Sierra region? 

Mining, lumbering, farming and stock raising are the four im- 
portant industries of the Sierras. 

Lumbering, like mining, often produces great wealth. Like 
mining, also, it often leaves a country poor and backward. 



CALIFORNIA 



145 



No forests in the world are more valuable than those of the 
Sierras and we should manage them with great care that they may 
always remain to help hold the water from running away and to 
furnish fuel and lumber. 

Parts of the forest are now being lumbered, but often without 
giving the necessary protection to the young trees. Other parts are 
in the National Forest and will be lumbered carefully. 

If lumbering is carried on properly by cutting only the mature 
trees, the industry will benefit this mountain region and be a per- 
manent one. 

The mills are usually situated in the mountains near where the 
trees are being cut. The sawed lumber is in most cases sent down 




The wonderful Kings River Canon. 



146 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



to the railroads in V-shaped flumes. This is because but few rail- 
roads extend into the mountains and the rivers are too rocky and 
swift for the logs to be floated down. 

Although the foothill region is backward in its development, 
it has been favored by Nature above most other regions. 

The beautiful foothills, once filled with miners, are now thinly 
populated and backward. Some time they will again become one 
of the most prosperous parts of California. 

The foothill region is nearly 400 miles long and from fifteen to 
thirty miles wide. It contains most of the population of the Sierra 
Nevada province. Much of the surface is rough, but there are in- 
numerable little valleys where almost everything that is produced in 
California will grow. 

In the lower foothills oranges, lemons, olives, figs, raisin grapes, 
peaches, pears and prunes thrive. The apples, pears and prunes 
grown in the upper foothills cannot be excelled by any in our coun- 
try, although there are as yet few orchards of any size. 

The upper foothills have a heavier rainfall than the Great Val- 
ley, an abundance of wood and water and a climate as agreeable 
as any in the world. When good roads have been built and the slow 
mule team has been replaced by railroads or trucks, produce can 
be sent to market and orchards will take the place of uncultivated 
fields. 





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Arctic flowers (asters) that blossom among the rocks on the bleak 
mountains above timber line. 



CALIFORNIA 



147 



Why is it so difficult to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains? 

The Sierras are difficult to cross because we cannot make use 
of the rivers, because there are no low gaps or passes and because 
heavy snows block the roads over the summit for fully six months 
in the year. 

Since the mountains are so rough, how did the emigrants get 
across with their wagons before there were any good roads? The 
highlands between the carious have somewhat the character of a 
plateau, and although they are very rocky it is possible to take 
wagons over them in some places. 

If all the slopes had been found to be steep, and to meet in 
sharp crests like those of the San Gabriel Range which overlooks 
the valleys of Southern California, the emigrants would have had to 
leave their wagons and cross on foot or on horseback. 

Why is it that the rivers flow in deep, rocky cations ? 

Long ago the 
Sierra Nevadas were 
not so high as they 
are now and the 
rivers flowed quietly 
through broad val- 
leys. Then there 
came earthquakes 
and the mountains 
w^ere shaken and 
lifted until the slopes 
became much steep- 
er. The water then 
began to run swiftly 
and to grind away 
the rocks over which 
it flowed. 

After hundreds of 
thousands of years 
the rivers have cut 
such deep channels 
that they are almost 
buried from sight. 
Back of these chan- 
nels or canons, which 
arc very precipitous, 
much of the old 
gently sloping sur- 
face remains, and it 
is this which we have 
called the plateau-like 
upland, and which, 
as we shall see, is 
of very- great impor- 
In the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees. tance, 




148 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

In what way is the plateau-Hke upland of so great importance ? 

The canons of the Sierras are so rocky and narrow that few 
people live in them. If all the slopes were as steep as the sides 
of the cafions there could have been no heavy forests nor any land 
that the farmer could cultivate. Mining would be the only indus- 
try that could be carried on. 

Much of the plateau-like upland is indeed very rough and many 
peaks rise from it toward the summit of the range, but it contains 
innumerable valleys with gentle slopes and rich soil. 

Upon these gentle slopes grow the wonderful forests for which 
the Sierra Nevadas are so noted. The higher valleys are too cold 
for farming, but lower down, toward the foothills, they ofifer every 
attraction. Here the climate is warm, but not too warm, the scen- 
ery pleasing, the water pure and cool, while the soil, temperature 
and rainfalls are suited to the growing of a great variety of fruits. 

Can people make homes in all the highland valleys of the 
Sierras ? 

Although it is so hot in the Great Valley in the summer, we 
find, if we ascend the mountains far enough, a region where it 
freezes almost every night and the snow falls twelve to fifteen feet 
deep in the winter. 

This lofty region is, then, not suited to home making, but is 
a delightful place in which to spend the summer. Most of this 
region is included in the National Forest which the Government is 
taking care of, partly to see that it is not wasted by fire or by the 
careless cutting of lumbermen, and partly to protect the water supply. 

How do the summer thunder storms serve the farmers in 
the lower valleys? 

On many hot, summer days lofty masses of thunder clouds 
gather over the high Sierras. They grow dark and flashes of light- 
ning are seen, while here and there fall heavy showers. 

These summer storms are due to the cold mountain tops which 
turn the invisible moisture in the air, as it floats across them, into 
clouds and rain. These storms may be so severe as to cause the 
rivers to rise, thus furnishing the farmers in the distant valleys more 
water for irrigation. 

Why is it that the Western Slope has such heavy forests, 
while the Eastern descends to a region of deserts? 

The storms come from the Pacific Ocean, as we have already 
learned, causing heavy snow and rain along the summit and over the 
western slope. By the time the storms have passed the cool summits 
of these lofty mountains, they have lost so much of their moisture 
that their force quickly decreases, and in the course of a few miles 
rain almost ceases to fall. 

On the western slope of the Sierras there is a wide belt which 
has a climate intermediate between the dry, hot lowlands and the 



CALIFORNIA 149 

cold, snowy summits. Here the conditions favor the growth of for- 
ests of immense cone-bearing trees. 

What differences do we observe in the chmate, productions 
and industries at dift"erent elevations of the slope of the 
Sierras? 

1. The lower foothill or sub-tropical belt: This region lying 
along the border of the Great Valley is covered with a scattering 
growth of oaks. Here are orchards of oranges, lemons, olives and 
figs which require a hot climate. Other fruits, such as pears, peaches, 
apricots and grapes, flourish in this region. 

2. The upper foothill belt: Here the climate is a little cooler 
and more rain falls. Digger pines in addition to oaks are found in 
the lower part, while in the upper part we are in the edge of the 
yellow pine forest. The cooler climate is suited to the growing of 
peaches, pears, cherries and apples. Stock raising through all the 
foothills is an important industry because much of the land is too 
rough for cultivation. 

3. The great forest belt: In this region, at an elevation rang- 
ing from 4000 to 7000 feet, are the finest coniferous forests in the 
world. The yellow pine is the most important lumber tree in the 
lower part. Cedar abounds here also and is used for rails and posts. 
The tree of least value is the white fir, while that of most worth is 
the sugar pine, which is used for doors, window sash, shelves and 
other purposes requiring a fine grained wood. 

The noted Sequoias or "Big Trees" occur in this belt and are 
scattered along the mountains above 5000 feet. The most noted 
groves are the Kaweah, Kings River, Fresno, Mariposa and Cala- 
veras. These trees reach a height of 300 feet and a diameter of 
30 feet, and some are believed to be 4000 years old. To our shame 
and sorrow, many of these wonderful trees have been cut down and 
made into lumber. 

Much of this great forest belt is too high for farming, but the 
many meadows are useful for grazing purposes. Dairying has long 
been an important industry in the northern Sierras because there 
the valleys are larger. The cool air and green grass favor the mak- 
ing of the best butter and cheese. 

4. The upper forest belt: As we go upward, the trees of the 
region just described disappear, and the red fir, tamarack pine and 
white pine take their places. These trees do not grow so large be- 
cause of the increasing cold. 

5. The timber line: We are now in a region which has an 
almost arctic climate. The fierce winds and winter cold make the 
trees gnarled and dwarfed. The struggle for life is a hard one and 
they cling close to the rocks, sometimes rising not more than two 
or three feet above the ground. 

6. The arctic region of bare rocks: We have now reached an 
elevation of more than two miles above the sea. The climate is too 
severe for trees or shrubs. Snow lies under the shadow of the 



150 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



cliffs all summer long. In the sheltered nooks, however, we find 
beautiful arctic flowers. 

Thus we see that in climbing the lofty Sierra Nevada Mountains 
we pass through all the different climates which we would find in 
traveling from the tropics to the arctic regions, a distance of sev- 
eral thousand miles. 

Why is it that there are so many beautiful lakes in the high 
Sierras? 

If we should take a camp- 
ing trip and travel the whole 
length of the high Sierras, 
scarcely a day would pass 
when we could not see one or 
more beautiful lakes set among 
meadows, crags and forests. 

Why are there so many 
lakes in these mountains and 
so few in other parts of Cali- 
fornia? If we examine the 
surface of the rocks about 
these lakes we shall find the 
answer to this question. They 
are polished smooth, while here 
and there the surface is marked 
by grooves and scratches. 

This work was done by 
glaciers such as we still find 
upon some of the higher moun- 
tains in our state. Long ago 
it was colder in the moun- 
tains, more snow fell, and it 
did not melt away rapidly. 
The snow changed to ice and 
moved slowly down the moun- 
tains. The ice polished the 
rocks, while the boulders which 
it carried along scratched and 
grooved them. Where the rocks 
were soft they were ground 
away faster and in this way 
the rock basins were made. 

^, , AA'hen the ice of the 

This gnarxed and twistea ±< oxtail , . j. i j. i^. j j.u 

pine has struggled with the storms for glaciers at last melted, the 

hundreds of years; near timber line water gathered m these basms 

on Mt. Whitney. and formed lakes. Some of the 

larger lakes do not occupy rock basins, but were made by dams of 

boulders and gravel which the glaciers left piled across the cations. 




CALIFORNIA 



151 



Why do so many people spend the summer about Lake Tahoe? 

Tahoe, although more than a mile above the sea, is the largest 
and deepest of the California lakes. It has become famous as a 
summer resort because of the pleasant wooded shores, cool, bracing 
air and rugged mountains surrounding it. 

Tahoe is not a glacial lake, but occupies the southern end of 
a deep hollow almost on the summit of the mountains. In the op- 
posite end of this hollow, far to the north of Truckee, Hes Sierra 
Valley, noted as a cattle and dairy region. 

Long ago a flow of molten lava from some volcano made a dam 
across the ancient valley and this, filling with water, gave us beau- 
tiful Lake Tahoe. 

Of what important use are the lakes in the high Sierras? 

The lakes help to make the flow of the streams more even by 
storing a part of the water when the snows are melting rapidly. 
They thus lessen the danger of floods and save the water for sum- 
mer use in the valleys below. 

Lakes serve the same purpose as reservoirs, which we have to 
build at great expense where there are no lakes, if we wish to save 
the water of the winter storms for irrigation. 

The little streams which feed the lakes are bringing sand and 
mud and have completely filled many of them. Nature is in this 
manner making the green mountain meadows which are bright with 
flowers all summer long. 




The cold and storms of timber line do not permit the trees to grow upright 
but causes them to grow close to the ground. 



152 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

In how far is the settlement of the Great V^alley dependent 
upon the rivers of the Sierras? 

We have learned that the need of the Great Valley is water. 
The rainfall is so light in the southern part that it must remain 
sparsely settled unless water is furnished from some other place 
where there is plenty. It seems as if Nature had made the lofty 
Sierras on purpose to furnish the needed water. 

The Sierras tower so high and cover so many thousand square 
miles that they take vast quantities of water from the clouds. The 
rivers collect this and pour their mighty floods down through the 
cations, bringing this life-giving substance to the very doors of the 
valley farmers. 

The rivers of the Sierras have another important work, and that 
is supplying power to run machinery. Much of this power would 
go to waste if it were not that we can turn it into electricity and 
carry it in copper wires for 200 or more miles. The rivers, then, 
furnish pOAver for doing all kinds of work in the foothills as well 
as in the Great Valley, Southern California and the coast region. 

Since the value of the water furnished by the High Sierras 
is so great, should we not be very careful that nothing 
is done in this region which will lessen the supply? 

AVherever we go in a hilly or mountainous region we see little 
gullies made by running water. They appear by the roadside, in the 
plowed fields and pastures. When we cut down the trees and bushes, 
when we pasture the slopes too closely, and when we do not use 
care in plowing, we leave the surface of the ground in such condi- 
tion that the water not only runs off more rapidly, but it collects 
in rivulets which cut channels and carry away the soil. 

The effect of cutting the trees and pasturing the slopes of the 
mountains is even worse than it is in the lower valley slopes where 
people live, for the storms are much more severe at high altitudes 
and the slopes are steeper. The result is to cause higher water in 
the spring and less water in the summer. 

We should not pasture the high Sierras ; we should not cut down 
the trees or disturb the surface in any way, for Nature will surely 
exact a penalty. She has clothed the mountains with vegetation so 
that erosion was slow until men came to disturb her arrangements. 

The mountain slopes in Spain, Italy, Palestine, China and Corea 
are washed and gullied by the rains because they were not cared for. 
Their rivers are low in summer, while in winter the people have to 
work hard to keep the sand and gravel which washes down from the 
mountains from burying the rich soil of their valleys. 

For what are the Sierra Nevadas noted all over the world? 

When the Sierra Nevadas are mentioned, we may think of the 
excitement at the discovery of gold; we may think of the hardships 
and dangers which the pioneers went through in crossing this lofty 
region; we may think of the dashing rivers so important to the 



CALIFORNIA 



153 



farmer, or we may think of the wonderful forests and grand scen- 
ery. The two things, however, which make the Sierras now most 
widely known are the Yosemite Valley and the Big Trees. 

The Yosemite is the most wonderful valley in the world. It is 
set deep in the mountains and surrounded by almost vertical clififs 
of granite which rise from 2000 to nearly 4000 feet. The Merced 
River, which comes tumbling down from the high mountains, enters 
the valley by two great waterfalls, and after flowing for eight miles 
through meadows and scattered forests, goes on down through its 
canon to the Great Valley to furnish water for the farmers. On the 
north side of the valley are the Yosemite Falls — the loftiest in the 
world — and on the south side is the beautiful Bridal Veil Fall. 

For thousands of years the river has been at work cutting this 
valley out of the solid granite. At times the water was aided by the 
glaciers which once partly filled the valley with ice. When the 
last glacier melted it left a lake which the river has now turned 
into a green meadow. 

The caiions of the Tuolumne, Kings and Kern Rivers are also 
noted for their grand and picturesque scenery. They are visited by 
many camping parties, but can be reached only by means of rough 
mountain trails. 

A few miles north of the Yosemite is Hetch Hetchy, another 




A perched boulder left by one of the ancient glaciers of the Sierras. 



154 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



mountain valley, with lofty cliffs and waterfalls. It is proposed 
to turn this valley into a lake by building a dam across the cafion 
below and to carry the water to San Francisco. 

What is the object of the national parks in the Sierra Nevadas ? 

We wish to preserve for all time the most attractive parts of 
our mountains as public playgrounds. We wish our children to see 
and enjoy the mighty trees, the cliffs and waterfalls just as they 
appeared in their natural state when white people first saw them. 

The Yosemite is the largest of the National parks in California, 
and includes the mountains for many miles on every side of the 
valley. Besides this park there are the Sequoia, General Grant and 
Mt. Whitney Parks, which include some of the grandest scenery 
and most important groves of Big Trees. 

Every one is free to camp in the parks and enjoy all that Nature 
has to offer, but one must obey the rules. . All guns must be left 
behind and great care must be taken about fire. No injury must 
be done the trees, plants, wild animals or birds. 

In what way do the national forests differ from the parks? 

The lands of the National Forests belong to the Government 
just as do the parks and are used also as camp and playgrounds. 
It is not the plan to prohibit entirely the cutting of timber, but to 
supervise the cutting so that the forests will be preserved, and not 
destroyed selfishly, as they usually are when controlled by lumber 
companies. 




The Pinnacles, on tne crest ot the high Sierras. 
Near the head of Kings River. 



CALIFORNIA 



155 



The men who take care of the forests are called Forest Rangers. 
They patrol the woods in summer to watch for fires, for these cause 
almost as much destruction as the careless lumbermen. It is also 
the business of the ranger to determine what trees are ripe and 
ready to be cut for lumber and to see that this is done without 
injury to the young trees. 

Cattle and sheep are allowed to be pastured in the forest by 
the payment of a small rental. The ranger sees that only a certain 
number are allowed in a given area so as not to have the surface 
injured in a way to cause erosion and loss of water. Before the 
establishment of the National Forests sheep did enormous damage 
upon the higher mountain slopes, destroying the meadows, killing 
the young trees and causing the w^ater to run off faster. We should 
do all we can to help the forest ranger in his work, for he is guard- 
ing the natural resources of our country for our benefit. 

The Sierra Nevadas form the largest and most attractive 
camp ground in all the world. 

If we loved our mountains as much as the people of Europe 
do the Alps, we would all wish to spend our vacations among them. 
In the Alps no one can live entirely out of doors, for it is wet and 
stormy, but in our mountains there are no summer rains except the 
occasional thunder storms, and life in the open air is most delightful. 

If we could all spend a few weeks each summer among the 
mountains, we would be stronger and happier and better able to 
study and work the rest of the year. 




Hetch Hetchy Valley, where San Francisco is building its great reservoir. 



156 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

SUMMARY. 

The Sierra Nevada Range formed a serious barrier to emigra- 
tion from the East, but had to be crossed, as it w^as difficult to reach 
the gold fields by any other land route. 

The Sierra Nevada is the longest, broadest and highest moun- 
tain range in California. Here we find the most extensive forest 
area and the largest trees. Here are nearly all the lakes, and the 
rivers afford more water for irrigation and more power for elec- 
tricity than all the other rivers of the state. 

The .first gold fields were worked in the foothills, where many 
towns sprang up. Placer mining lasted but a few years, giving place 
to hydraulic mining and quartz mining. Many of the miners have 
left these little foothill towns, so that the population is less today 
than fifty years ago. 

The backward condition of the foothill region, in which most 
of the population is found, will not last. The quartz veins still pro- 
duce millions of dollars in gold every year, while the valleys are 
rich in agricultural resources. Some time the region will again be 
thickly peopled and prosperous, but this prosperity will be perma- 
nent, for it will be based on agriculture. 

The scenery of the lofty peaks, deep canons and valleys has 
made the Sierra Nevada Mountains renowned throughout the world. 
Its attractions as a summer playground draw a greater number of 
people every year, 

REVIEW EXERCISES. 

Of what great importance are the Sierra Nevada Mountains to 

California? 
Why were the Sierras so difficult to cross in the early days? Why 

are they still difficult to cross? 
Tell what you can about the advantages offered by the passes. AVhat 

passes are now used by the railroads? 
AVhy was it easier for the emigrants to follow the ridges than to 

keep along the streams? 
How did the placer gold become buried in the stream gravels? 
Describe the different ways of getting the gold. 
What determined the position of the mining towns of the Sierras? 
Find out what you can about life in the mining camps in the early 

days. 
What happened Avhen the placer mines began to give out? 
Why do miners and lumbermen take less pains with their homes 

than do farmers ? 
Which offers the surest means of a comfortable home, mining or 

farming? 
Why are the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains now so thinly 

inhabited? 
What advantages do the foothills offer for permanent homes? 
In what part of the Sierras do we find the great forests? Why do 



CALIFORNIA 157 

they occupy a belt instead of covering all the western slope? 

Describe the changing vegetation as one goes from the foothills to 
the summit. 

Why in lumbering are the logs usually sawed in the mountains in- 
stead of being taken to the Great Valley? How is the lumber 
carried to the valley? 

What is the effect upon the water supply of clearing the forests 
from the mountain slopes? What is the effect upon the soil? 

Why should we be particularly careful of the forests of the Sierra 
Nevadas ? 

Explain how the lakes help protect against floods. Of what other 
use are the lakes of the Sierras? 

In what way may pasturing the mountain slopes injure the water 
supply? 

Tell what you can about the Yosemite Valley. 

What M^as the purpose of the Government in establishing the Na- 
tional Parks? 

How is the government helping to save the timber for future use? 

Tell what you can about the important lumber trees of the Sierras. 

Why should we be very careful about setting fires in the mountains? 

What injury do fires cause besides that of the loss of timber? 

What are the advantages of the Sierras as a summer camp ground? 

PRACTICAL LESSONS. 

Mountains and deserts w^ere once serious barriers to the spread of 
people across our continent. Now we carry water into the des- 
erts and make tunnels through the mountains. 

Settlements and industries of most mining and lumbering regions 
are less permanent than those in regions were farming is the 
chief industry. 

Mountains which have plateau-like uplands are of much greater 
value than those with sharp-edged ridges. 

In going up a high mountain one passes through many different 
climates. 

Lakes are numerous in all regions where there have been glaciers. 

It is of the greatest importance for the development of California 
that we do not cut off the timber or injure the surface of the 
high mountains. 

It is necessary for our health and progress that we have large tracts 
of mountain country set aside for permanent summer* play- 
grounds. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Southern California: A Land Left by Nature Almost a Desert But 
by Men Turned Into a Garden of Fruits and Flowers — A Land 
Where Snow-Covered Mountains Look Down Upon Blos- 
soming Orange Groves, Upon Valleys Whose Clear 
Skies and Balmy Air Have Made Them Re- 
nowned Throughout All Our Country. 
Introduction. 

We have learned how Nature has surrounded California on the 
land side by mountains and deserts, and how difficult these were 
to cross before the building of good wagon roads and railroads. 

We are now coming to the study of another region which, al- 
though it forms one of the most important divisions of our great 
state, is almost as completely separated from the rest by mountains 
and deserts as the whole state is from the outside world. Had it 
not been for a narrow pass close to the ocean, the early explorers 
might have been unable to make their way northward, and in such 
a case the story of California would have been different. 

Southern California is not a simple region or one easy for us 
to study. It has many kinds of climate, ranging from that of the 
high mountains, where the winters are very cold and heavy rains 
and snows fall, to the Colorado Desert, one of the driest and hottest 
places in the United States. 

Southern California has many kinds of mountains, valleys, soils 
and minerals, and because of all this its people are engaged in a 
great variety of occupations. It is less than one-sixth of the area 
of the state, but contains fully one-third of the population. 

AMiat is the nature of the mountains and deserts that inclose 

Southern California? 

The Mohave Desert is a part of the Great Basin, as Ave shall 
learn more fully later. It extends so far westward that it almost 
cuts the state into two parts. What the desert lacked of doing has 
been completed by the mountains. These lie between it and the 
ocean, filling all eastern Santa Barbara County. They are so steep 
and rugged that no wagon road has been made across them. 

There is but one open route, then, between Southern and Xorth- 
ern California, and this lies close to the ocean. The traveler who 
would go direct to the San Joaquin Valley from Southern California 
finds, blocking his path, two mountain ranges with the Mohave 
Desert between them. In the early days of our state these were 
far more difficult to cross than they are now. 

The mountains which make difficult the way between Southern 
and Northern California are a part of a great system of mountains 
which are fully as important to the people of Southern California 
as the Sierra Nevadas are to the people of Northern California. 
Like the Sierras they form a serious obstacle to travel and trade, 
but are indispensable to the people who live at their base. 



160 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

The system of mountains of which we are going to speak ex- 
tends wholly across the state, reaching from the ocean nearly to the 
Colorado River. Their direction is more nearly east and west than 
any other of our mountains except the Santa Monica Range. 

The different portions of these mountains are known by differ- 
ent names. The western part, extending through southern Santa 
Barbara County, is called the Santa Ynez Range. Its western end 
is in the ocean and forms Point Conception, the most prominent 
cape on the whole coast of California. 

Following the mountains eastward we shall not try to remem- 
ber the names of the many different ranges which we pass until we 
come to the highest and most important ones. These overlook the 
Los Angeles - San Bernardino Valley and shut it away from the 
deserts. 

The first of these is the San Gabriel. It is often called the 
Sierra Madre, meaning "mother mountains." It has very steep slopes 
and sharp ridges, and San Antonio, the highest peak, rises 10,080 
feet. The Spanish explorers rightly called this range Sierra Madre, 
for it is the oldest of the high mountains of Southern California. 

Continuing still farther eastward along the great system of 
mountains bounding Southern California on the north, we cross 
the Cajon Pass and come to the San Bernardino Range. We will 
climb San Gorgonio, the highest peak in Southern California, and 
from an elevation of 11,485 feet will obtain a wonderful view over 
a vast extent of country. 

To the north rises the sandy wastes of the Mohave Desert, 
whose bare, rocky mountains look like little hills. To the southeast 
lies the Colorado Desert, where travelers have died of heat and 
thirst. The desert has lost its fearsome character and in its very 
heart there now stretches miles of green fields — a wonderful change 
brought about through the discovery of artesian wells and the bring- 
ing in of the water of the Colorado River. On the west lies the 
green valley of San Bernardino, and away in the distance we may 
see, with the aid of a good glass, Los Angeles and the ocean. 

To the south of and opposite San Gorgonio lies its twin peak. 
San Jacinto, which has a height of 10,805 feet. Between them is 
San Gorgonio Pass, which forms the easiest gateway into Southern 
California. 

From San Jacinto we look over a sea of mountains which ex- 
tends southward between the Colorado Desert and the ocean. These 
mountains we shall call the Peninsula Range, for they form the 
backbone of the peninsula of Southern California. 

What can we say of the slopes and river 1)asins of Southern 
California ? 

We once thought of Southern California as that land lying 
on the seaward slope of the mountains which we have just de- 
scribed. That was because this slope contained practically all the 
inhabitants. 



CALIFORNIA 



161 



The seaward slope is, like the similar slopes of the Sierra Xe- 
vadas and Coast Ranges, much the longer. It receives most of the 
rainfall and contains the larger rivers. 

Now we have come to think of Southern California as includ- 
ing also the eastward or desert slope of the mountains. Because 
of the bringing- in of water from the Colorado River, and the boring 
of many wells, thousands of people now dwell upon the desert slope. 

Because the two main slopes of Southern California are some- 
what like the two sides of a roof, there are no very large river 
basins but many small ones instead. 

The largest basins are those of the Santa Ana, Santa Clara and 
Los Angeles Rivers. These rise in high mountains where the rain- 
fall is heavy, but they flow so far to reach the ocean that in sum- 
mer their beds, in their lower courses, are dry. Much of the water 
is lost in the dry air, a part sinks into the sand, and since the set- 
tlement of the valleys all that can be obtained is carried away in 
ditches for irrigation. 

If you live in Southern California you should find out all you 
can about the river that supplies your home district, for that is the 
most important one to you. 

\Miy do we often call Southern California the land of ''Orange 

Groves" ? 

It was gold which first made California talked about and this 
was for a long time its chief product. California became known as 
the "land of gold." All eyes were turned in the direction of the 









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Among the orange orchards of Southern California. 
Southern California. 



Auto Club of 



162 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

mines which had been opened in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada 
Mountains. No one thought of stopping in Southern California or 
dreamed that the half desert slopes would one day be covered 
with orchards. 

Now miles of orange groves, the trees laden with fragrant blos- 
soms and yellow fruit, have taken the place of the desert bushes. 
Southern California has become one of the most important orange 
growing districts in the world and is noted as widely for its golden 
fruit as Northern California once was for its golden sands. For this 
reason we call Southern California the "land of orange groves." 

How was it that the Padres found it so difficult to reach this 
region ? 

The Mission Fathers came from Mexico. The journey from 
the City of Mexico overland to California was far more dangerous 
than that followed by most of the "gold seekers," and so this pos- 
sible route was not used. 

The usual way to reach California was by ship from some Mex- 
ican port, but the boats were small and frequently delayed by storms. 
Because of the danger of travel by sea, parties sometimes came north 
through the long and desert peninsula of Lower California, a jour- 
ney which took many weeks. 

How is it that this region, once believed to be almost worth- 
less, has been transformed into a land of fruits and 
flowers ? 

Although the valleys of Southern California appeared very dry 
in summer before they were cultivated, yet their climate is very far 
from being" that of a desert. They receive from twelve to -fifteen 
inches of rain yearly, while upon the mountains there is much more. 

The reason that the land appears so desert-like is that the 
rains fall mostly during the winter months and the long, hot sum- 
mers, when it is so greatly needed, are without any. Thus the light 
soil of the valley slopes becomes so dry that it supports a scanty 
vegetation. Only those plants which have become accustomed to 
going" without water through the long, hot months could live and 
thrive there under Nature's rule. 

Some farm crops that ripen early, such as grain, can be grown 
with only the moisture of the winter and early spring rains. If 
we would grow fruits and vegetables with complete success, ^ye 
must water them artificially. Without a supply of water for sum- 
mer use. Southern California could never have become a flourish- 
ing, thickly settled country. 

How was this needed supply obtained? The total rainfall could 
not of course be changed, but could not a part of this water in some 
manner be saved for summer use? 

What becomes of all the water from the rains and snows on 
the mountains, and of the springs and little streams which flow 
all summer in the mountain canons? 



CALIFORNIA 



163 



If we follow a stream down from the mountains we shall find 
that soon after reaching the valley the water disappears in its sandy 
bed. A part is lost by evaporation in the dry, hot air, but another 

part sinks between 
the pebbles and 
grains of sand and 
flows on under- 
ground across the 
broad valley to the 
ocean. So there is 
water here, but it is 
underground out of 
sight. The rivers, 
we say, flow upside 
down in the summer 
time. 

After the severe 
winter rains, muddy 
floods sweep down 
the dry channels. 
Most of this water 
is lost in the ocean, 
but a part sinks in 
the gravels and sands 
underneath the val- 
leys, where it forms 
vast stores only wait- 
ing to be pumped 
out. 

Thus we see that 
Nature does supply 
this region with an 
abundance of water, 
but not at the time 
of the year when it 
is most needed, and 
besides she wastes a 
large part of it. 




Spanish Bayonet and Big Cone Spruce in the 
San Gabriel Caiion. 



The discovery of the vast stores of water underground and the 
learning how to hold and use the winter floods, has enabled us to 
change this region, apparently so dry and barren, into a garden of 
fruits and flowers. 

Is there any resemblance between Southern and Central 
California? 

Southern California has one large central basin, but this is 
broken into two parts by a chain of hills. We call the two parts 
the Los Angeles -San Bernardino Valley. There are no Coast 
Ranges separating the valley from the ocean and it is drained by 



164 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

■ three independent rivers. These are, in order of their importance, 
the Santa Ana, San Gabriel, and Los Angeles. 

Three large valleys — the San Fernando, Temeciila - Elsinore and 
San Jacinto — open into the central basin, while many others open 
directly to the ocean. The most important of the latter valleys are 
the Santa Clara in the north and the San Luis Rey and San Diego 
in the south. 

Central California, as we have already learned, has one great 
valley with mountains all around it, is almost unbroken by hills, and 
is drained by one river which breaks through the Coast Ranges to 
the ocean. 

How is it that oranges ripen later in Southern California 
than in the Great Central Valley of the north? 

The Great Central Valley is so completely shut in by moun- 
tains that the cool winds from the ocean reach it only at one point. 
Thus this region is warmer than it otherwise would be during most 
of the year. 

The cool ocean winds blow inland, carrying fog across the whole 
of the Los Angeles-San Bernardino Valley, because there are no 
Coast Ranges to break them. For this reason the air of these south- 
ern valleys is cooler than we would expect to find it, and oranges, 
as well as other fruits, ripen fully a month later than they do in the 
Great Central Valley, 500 miles farther north. 

This is one of the many strange and curious things about our 
California climate which teaches us that the temperature of a place 
and the kinds of fruit which are produced in it do not depend upon 
its distance from the tropics. 

What was the first consideration of the early Spaniards when 
seeking places for their settlements? 

There is a reason for every town or settlement being where it 
is, but these reasons are not always the same. A town may spring- 
up in a given place because of advantages for trade, because of water 
power for manufacturing, because of rich farming lands about, or 
because of mines near by. 

In Southern California the most important thing which deter- 
mined the locations of the early towns was water. Without water 
there could be no gardens, and since it was such a long and dan- 
gerous journey to any place where supplies could be obtained, it 
was absolutely necessary to raise what was needed just as soon 
as possible. 

With their poor tools the pioneers could not build elaborate 
water systems as we do now, so that they were compelled to locate 
as near as possible to springs or permanent streams. The second 
thing that the pioneers had in mind when locating their settlements 
was fertile soil, for without that water would produce but little. The 
presence of a bay or safe landing place was another thing which de- 
termined' the location of some of the settlements. 



CALIFORNIA 165 

Why did the discovery of gold liave so Httle influence upon 
the settlement of Southern California? 

1. It was not at first known that gold occurred in Southern 
California: Placer gold had been found in the mountains of north- 
ern Los Angeles County years before the discovery in the north, 
but the Padres did not look with favor upon mining and it was soon 
forgotten. 

Those who passed through Southern California on their way to 
the mines did not stop because the country, in its natural state, did 
not offer so good inducements to the farmer as did the region of 
greater rainfall to the north. 

2. The region was remote from the main lines of travel which 
led to the mines: Few of the gold seekers came through Southern 
California, for the main trails crossed the continent farther north. 
The southern trails were longer and more dangerous, but some peo- 
ple came this way in winter when the northern routes were blocked 
with snow. 

3. The southern trails led for a much greater distance through 
a desert country where feed and water were difficult to obtain: 
The course of the old Santa Fe Trail was from St. Louis up the 
Arkansas River and across the southern Rocky Mountains to Santa 
Fe in New Mexico. From here it led through Southern Arizona 
with its broad deserts and dangerous Apache Indians to Fort Yuma. 
Then came the worst stretch of all, the Colorado Desert, which had 
to be crossed before either Los iVngeles or San Diego could be 
reached. * 

The other route was known as the Spanish or Mormon Trail, 
some Mormons having come this way and settled in the Valley of 
San Bernardino. The course of this trail was south of Great Salt 
Lake and across Southern Nevada and the Mohave Desert and 
through the Cajon Pass to the Valley of San Bernardino. 

When the emigrants who came by these routes had reached Los 
Angeles they were still far from the mines. Two mountain ranges 
and the Mohave Desert still lay in their path and would have to be 
crossed before they could reach the San Joaquin Valley. From this 
point the route lay over a vast plain, broken only by the rivers from 
the Sierra Nevadas. In the spring these rivers were difficult to cross. 

Why did agriculture develop more slowly in Southern than 
Northern California? 

1. Stock raising long remained the most important industry: 

Few of the early emigrants stopped in the south and the life of the 
Spanish inhabitants went on with little change long after the dis- 
covery of gold. Much of the land continued to remain in the hands 
of the original owners, who held large tracts called "grants," so 
"named because granted to them by the Mexican Government. 

The wealth of the ranchos consisted largely of cattle, horses 
and sheep. There was a market for hides and tallow, but for little 
else. After the miners came there would have been a market for 



166 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



beef, but there were no refrigerators in those days, and it was too 
far to drive the cattle. 

2. There was no market for produce of any sort : Until there 
was a market we could not expect agriculture to become an impor- 
tant industry. The people of the Missions, towns and ranchos all 
had their own gardens watered by ditches from some near-by stream. 

The distance to the gold fields was so great that it was not pos- 
sible to send fruit and vegetables there. Fruit could have been sent 
to San Francisco by water, as it was from far more distant coun- 
tries, but the old orchards no more than sufficed for the home pop- 
ulation. The few new farmers from the East were slow in under- 
standing the natural advantages which this region offered for grow- 
ing fruit. 

3. The country appeared dry and worthless to the emigrants 
from the Eastern States, who did not understand what could be done 
with irrigation: The first settlers who came to this region from 
Spain and Mexico were used to a dry climate and to the methods 
of irrigation. They saw quickly the similarity of the climate to 
that of their old homes and so were able to choose wisely the places 
for their gardens. They settled near permanent streams, built dams 
and ditches to carry water to these gardens, and were at once suc- 
cessful in making the land produce abundantly. 

The Eastern emigrants knew nothing about irrigation. They 
were used to summer rains, and this country, which was so dry in 
the summer, did not attract them. It was a long time before the)^ 
learned the advantage of being able to water their lands just when 
water was needed, instead of having to wait for a chance shower. 

4. Water was not easily obtained for irrigation on a large scale : 
While there was plenty of water at hand for the gardens of the few 
Spanish settlers, the problem of obtaining water to irrigate thousands 
of acres was a much more difficult matter. 




Irrigation canal near Riverside. 



CALIFORNIA 



167 



It was some years after Americans began to settle in Southern 
California before they discovered that there was really an abundance 
of water in this region apparently so dry. The thick beds of gravel 
and sand underlying the valleys proved to be vast reservoirs of wa- 
ter which could be opened by means of wells. In most places the 
water had to be pumped by means of wind mills or gas engines. In 
some places it flowed out, forming artesian wells. 

The spring floods which came from the heavy rains and melt- 
ing snows on the mountains showed the people that here was an- 
other important supply of water which, if it could be made use of, 
would be sufficient to irrigate all the valley lands. The flood waters 
are now being partly held back in reservoirs and are turning the 
barren slopes into gardens of tropical luxuriance. 

5. The sandy soil with its scanty vegetation was believed to 
be poor: Most of the mountains of Southern California are formed 
of granite which contains, among other things, much quartz. As 
the rocks crumble, a portion of this material is washed down into 
the valleys, where it aids in making the soil. This soil is generally 
light and more or less sandy, and as it supported only a scanty veg- 
etation, it was believed to be poor and unsuited to growing profit- 
able crops. It took the early settlers some time to learn that this 
soil was really very rich and needed only water to make it produce 
abundantly. 

6. The mountain slopes are usually too steep and rocky for 
farming: The rainfall is so much greater in the mountains than in 




Mt. San Jacinto from Hemet Valley. 



168 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

the valleys that if these high lands were otherwise suitable for 
farming they would require no irrigation. 

The greater part of the mountains of Southern California rise 
so steeply from the lowlands, and their slopes are so rocky, that it 
is impossible to farm them. In the Peninsula Range in San Diego 
County there are, however, many mountain valleys, and a few in 
other parts of this region where general farming and fruit raising 
are carried on without irrigation. 

What finally led to the rapid settlement of Southern California ? 

1. Climate has been the most attractive feature : Little thought 
was given to climate or scenery in the early days. Learning how 
they could best make a living in the new land occupied all the at- 
tention of the first settlers. 

Finally, as it became known how well adapted Southern Cali- 
fornia was to the growing of sub-tropical fruits, M^hat a mild and 
agreeable climate it had, and how picturesque were the surround- 
ings, it began to attract visitors. People who wished to escape the 
cold winters of the Eastern States went there to spend a part of 
the year. This led to the building of great hotels to accommodate 
tourists. 

Many of the visitors were captivated by the mild climate and 
beautiful surroundings, so that they remained and made their homes 
there. Towns and cities sprang up very rapidly and orange groves 
began to take the place of the desert bushes. 

2. In w^hat way has the climate proved attractive? There are 
three distinct sorts of climate in Southern California : the climate 
of the coast, of the interior valleys, and of the mountains. 

Upon the coast the ocean winds and fogs make summer almost 
as cool as winter, while changes in temperature between day and 
night are very small. San Diego has the most even temperature 
of any place in our country. 

In the interior valleys, where the sea breezes do not reach, the 
summer temperature is very high. Coachella and Imperial Valleys 
are among the hottest places in the United States. However, the 
air is so dry in these valleys that it is much less oppressive than it 
otherwise would be, and sunstroke is rare. 

The Los Angeles-San Bernardino Valley extends far inland, but 
the climate over its whole extent is influenced by the ocean. Al- 
though, as we have learned, it is divided into two parts by a chain 
of hills, yet these hills are not high enough to break the ocean winds 
and upon many summer mornings the valley is completely buried 
under a blanket of fog. 

Upon the mountains we find a very different climate. The win- 
ters are cold and heavy snows fall. The summers are delightful for 
camping and occasionally heavy thunder storms occur. 

3. The discovery that the soil and climate were suited to .grow- 
ing a great variety of fruits: The old Mission garden showed what 
a wealth of sub-tropical fruits could be raised in California, but it 
was not learned until later that fruits of other climes would Sfrow 



CALIFORNIA 



169 



equally well in the hot lowland valleys. 

In the same garden with the orange, pomelo, lemon, fig, olive 
and raisin grape, we find the apple, pear, peach and plum, which 
are natives of a more northern and colder region. 

We must not forget, however, that each of the three climatic 
regions which have been mentioned grows certain fruits better than 
the others. Lemons do well near the coast, oranges and grapes are 
best in the hot interior valleys, Avhile apples excel in the high moun- 
tain valleys. 

4. The building of the railroads had a great influence upon the 
growth of Southern California: In the early days it was useless to 
set out groves of orange, lemon and olive trees, for there was no 
market for the fruit. It was not possible to send produce overland 
by wagon, nor even to Northern California. San Francisco and 
other coast cities were within reach by water and these "were the 
only places where fruit could be sold. 

There was, however, a market for grain, which could be ship- 
ped to distant lands by boat or made into flour. There are many 
large valleys where in ordinary years the rainfall is sufficient to 
grow grain without irrigation. Consequently grain and cattle and 
sheep continued to be the chief productions until the coming of 
the railroads. 

Sacramento had been connected by railroad with the East many 
years before Southern California had any outlet. When at last Los 
Angeles was connected with Sacramento by railroad, and the South- 
ern Pacific Railroad had been built east across Arizona and New 
Mexico, a great market was opened. 

Florida did not supply enough fruits and vegetables for the win- 
ter markets of the Northern and Eastern States and California began 
to furnish what w^as lacking. Soon the products of this region were 











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Bear Valley Reservoir, San Bernardino Mountains. 



170 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



in demand and the quantity shipped increased year by year. The 
Santa Fe and Salt Lake Railroads when completed added new facil- 
ities for sending our products East and now many thousands of car- 
loads are shipped each year. Refrigerator cars are used, so that 
those fruits and vegetables which ordinarily keep but a short time 
are landed in the East as fresh as when they left California. 

The growing of citrus fruits has now become the leading in- 
dustry of the coastal slope, and one can ride for miles through al- 
most continuous groves of orange, pomelo and lemon trees. 

The navel orange, large, sweet and seedless, had made Southern 
California famous and is one of the finest in the world. 

This orange was discovered, almost by accident, among some 
trees which had been planted at Riverside, and which came from 
Brazil through the Agricultural Department at Washington. 

5. Irrigation is the chief factor in the making of Southern Cali- 
fornia: Without irrigation, however, most of Southern California 
would have remained in large ranches on which few people could 
make a living. Grain and cattle would have continued to be the 
chief productions. 

Those parts better favored by Nature would include the moun- 
tain valleys, where the rainfall is sufficient for growing apples, 
pears, peaches, prunes and cherries ; and the bottom lands along 
the streams, where under careful cultivation the deep, rich soil will 
grow certain fruits and other farm products without irrigation. 




Picking Lemons. 



CALIFORNIA 



171 



For the successful growing of citrus fruits more water is needed 
than Nature supplies, and Southern California could never have be- 
come the "land of oranges" if it had not been possible to obtain 
water for summer use. 

The lands best suited to the growing of sweet oranges are not 
near the cool ocean, nor in the frosty river bottoms, nor the moun- 
tain valleys. They are the broad, gentle slopes lying all about the 
bases of the mountains. They include the higher slopes of the Los 
Angeles-San Bernardino Valley, and numberless other smaller val- 
leys where the soil and climate are similar. 

Nature had supplied the proper soil and temperature, but not 
the water needed to make the dry slopes bloom with orange groves. 

The great stores of water placed in the gravels underneath the 
valleys are drawn upon by means of thousands of wells. The flood 
waters which once flowed unchecked to the ocean are held back by 
dams in the mountains and turned into the ditches when needed. 

When we have succeeded in saving all the flood waters, there 
will without doubt be enough to supply all the valley lands and sup- 
port millions of people in comfortable homes. 

How much do we owe to the mountains for the growth in 
population and wealth of Southern California? 

Do you know how much the people of Southern California owe 
the lofty mountains which look down upon this fertile and bloom- 
ing region? We sometimes think the rough mountains are so much 




Irrigating an orchard by checks. 



172 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

waste and useless ground and that if they were taken away the coun- 
try would support many more people. 

This may be true of the mountains in some countries, but it is 
not true of those in California. If there were no mountains there 
would be less water, and with less water there would be fcAver peo- 
ple, for water is the life of the soil and only by its aid can the soil 
be made productive. 

How do we know that the mountains are such valuable water 
gatherers? We can see from the valleys that the clouds collect first 
over the mountains as the storms approach, and stay there longest 
when they depart. We know also that the storms are more severe 
on the mountains, for often when it has rained but slightly in the 
valleys the mountain streams become muddy torrents from the doAvn- 
pours which occur there. 

We who have been in the mountains know that the higher we 
climb up their slopes the cooler the air becomes. The snows which 
whiten them throughout the winter and spring tell the same thing. 
It is, then, the cold air of the mountains which changes so much 
of the moisture of the clouds into rain and causes the snow to fall 
many feet deep. Thus they aid in supplying more water to the val- 
leys, while the slowly melting snows keep up the flow of the streams 
far into the summer. 

We can say, then, that without the mountains the rainfall would 
be so small there would be almost no streams. There would be few 
springs and little water for summer use. Southern California would 
be a desert and capable of supporting but few people. 

Of what other uses are the mountains besides supplying water 
to make gardens out of a desert? 

1. The mountain slopes have a climate favorable to the growth 
of forests: There are belts of vegetation on the mountain slopes 
of Southern California as there are on the Sierra Nevadas, but, as 
we shall see, they are different because the climate is not the same. 

Few trees are found in the lowland valleys because of the light 
rainfall. In their place are many sorts of low shrubs and cactuses. 

About the bases of the mountains and upon their lower slopes, 
the bushes grow larger and more dense. Among them are sage- 
brush, scrub-oak, manzanita, California lilac or chaparral. 

In the canyons appear beautiful spreading oaks and sometimes 
cottonwoods and sycamores. 

As we ascend to the plateau-like uplands and mountain valleys, 
we reach a region of heavier rainfall. Upon the moister shady slopes 
oaks abound, but upon the drier ones there is dense brush mingled 
with Spanish bayonet, which in the spring sends up a great stalk 
bearing a cluster of waxy white flowers. 

The first conifer which we meet in our upward journey is the 
big cone spruce, which grows in the cafions of the San Gabriel and 
adjoining mountains. It is not until we reach an elevation of 5000 
feet that we come to the main forest belt. The trees of this forest 



CALIFORNIA 173 

are largely yellow pine, the most widespread of all the lumber trees 
of California. 

Higher still we find the cedar, sugar pine, fir, and last of all 
the dwarf white pine. The latter reaches almost to the summit of 
the highest peak. 

Each kind of bush or tree which we have passed lives in a dif- 
ferent climatic belt, but similar belts do not have the same eleva- 
tion all over the state. In Northern California the yellow pine 
grows as low as 2000 feet, and its position in Southern California 
at an elevation of 5000 feet shows that we have to ascend 3000 feet 
higher to find a climate similar to that in the north. 

The forests of the San Bernardino Mountains are the most ex- 
tensive of any in this part of the state. In carrying on lumbering 
it is necessary to use the greatest care to prevent injury to the 
water supply. Already much harm has been done, for where the 
lands have been swept clear of trees it has been proved that the 
water runs off much more quickly than in the undisturbed forest. 

All the timber lands of Southern California owned by the Gov- 
ernment are now included in the National Forests and are carefully 
watched that neither lumbermen, stock nor fires injure them. 

2. The mountains afford summer pasture for cattle and sheep: 
The mountain uplands, with their cool summer climate and abun- 
dant rains, form a good summer pasture for cattle and sheep. They 
have, however, been overstocked in past years and great damage 
has been done to the covering of vegetation which protects the 
slopes. This has been most serious in the San Gabriel Range be- 
cause of its very steep slopes. 

The overstocking results first in the killing of the grasses, other 
small plants, and young- trees. This permits the water to run ofif 
more rapidly, thus affecting the springs, as well as cutting gullies 
in the soil. 

The rangers who now have charge of the National Forests shut 
out all stock from the higher and steeper slopes. We can readily 
see that it is necessary to guard with greatest care the flow of the 
water or the orange orchards in the valley beloM' may be ruined. 

3. The lower slopes and cafions form an excellent bee pasture: 
Honey is one of the products for which Southern California is noted. 
The "bee ranches" are usually hidden away in the mountain canons 
far from the settlements, for in such places is found the greatest 
number of honey producing plants. The white sage is particular!}'- 
valuable for the quality of honey which it affords. 

4. The mountains make it possible to grow here the best of 
northern fruits: In the mountain valleys fruits of more northern 
climes grow to perfection without irrigation. Apples are the most 
important of these fruits, and at an elevation of about 4000 feet 
are the equal of those raised in any other part of our country. Pears, 
peaches, prunes and cherries are also at home in these valleys. 

5. The mountain streams supply power for electricity: Many 
of the mountain streams are large t-nough to be used for generat- 



174 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

ing" electricity needed for lighting and power purposes in the val- 
leys below. 

6. The mountains furnish attractive scenery for the dwellers 
in the valleys : There is no more attractive valley scenery in Cali- 
fornia than that of the mountains viewed from the Los Angeles- 
San Bernardino Valley. The lofty snow-capped peaks, risinsf so ' 
abruptly for many thousand feet, form a striking contrast with the 
blossoming orange groves. 

7. The mountains afford summer camp grounds: The health- 
ful, bracing air among the pines attracts large numbers of people 
during the summer months when the valleys are so warm. The value 
of the mountains for this purpose is becoming greater every year. 

8. The mountains contain veins of different minerals: Veins 
of gold-bearing quartz and other minerals are found in the moun- 
tains. If there were no mountains it would be much more difficult 
to determine where the minerals are. The steep, rocky slopes make 
it easy to discover them and to mine them by means of tunnels. 

How can we save for summer use the largest possible amount 
of the water which Nature furnishes this region? 

We have learned that the productiveness of the valleys depends 
upon the water from the mountains. If we could save all the rain 
that falls, there would still be needed great care in its use that it 
might reach to the many acres yet unplowed. Let us see now what 
we must do to save this water. 

1. The vegetation on the mountain slopes must be protected: 
If you will go into the desert which lies beyond the mountains of 
which we are speaking, you will find that the mountains there are 
bare and rocky. Little soil gathers as the rocks slowly decay and 
crumble, for plants are almost absent. The loose material, having 
nothing to hold it, is at the mercy of the occasional heavy rain or 
cloudburst. It is washed from the slopes down through the can- 
ofis and spread out on the vast desert plains. There is little to 
hold the water back and it runs quickly away, leaving the slopes 
almost as dry as they were before. 

The lofty mountains of Southern California receive more rain 
than those of the desert and so bear a growth of bushes and trees. 
Their roots help hold the earth on the steep slopes, and the layer 
of decaying leaves and stems aids further in holding back a part of 
the water and so gives time for it to sink into the ground instead 
of flowing away. The water seeps down through the rock crevices 
and keeps alive the springs which feed the summer streams. 

When fires destroy the brush and trees and the layer of humus. 
when the lumberman clears off the surface, or when stock trample 
and injure the surface, the water takes hold and washes the soil 
away ; floods become worse and there is less water in summer. 

2. Great reservoirs must be built to hold the flood waters: 
Water sufficient to irrigate many thousand acres still flows away 
unused to the ocean after the heavv winter storms. Manv more 



CALIFORNIA 175 

reservoirs must be built in order that all the valley lands may be 
cultivated and dotted Avith homes.' 

3. The underground waters must be used with care : So many 
wells have been bored throughout the valleys and the water has been 
used so freely that the stores in the gravels beneath are being drawn 
upon faster than Nature renews them. 

When the top of the underground water layer is lowered, the 
wells have to be deepened, and if this continues the water after a 
time will be too far below the surface to be reached. We must be 
careful about using this water carelessly or drilling too many arte- 
sian wells and letting them flow unchecked. 

How has Los Angeles added to its water supply? 

We cannot increase the rainfall, and when we have used all 
the water supplied by Nature in any place, we shall have to go 
elsewhere for it if we wish more. The city of Los Angeles once 
obtained water enough for its needs from the river and from springs 
in the lower end of the San Fernando Valley. 

As the city grew this supply became insufficient. No water 
could be obtained from other nearby sources, for all had been ap- 
propriated. But more must be had if the city and region about con- 
tinued to increase in population. 

We learn in our history stories of great water systems built 
long ago by the Romans which carried water from the distant hills 
to the cities, but none equaled that which has been built by the 
people of Los Angeles. 

Far to the north, across the San Gabriel Range and the broad 
basin of the Mohave Desert, lies Owens Valley close under the east- 
ern face of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Through this valley flows 
a river of the same name, rising in the melting snows and glacial 
lakes near the summit of the mountains and emptying into the alka- 
line waters of Owens Lake. 

The river carries much more water than was used by the ranch- 
ers of the valley, and, though it was so far away, Los Angeles de- 
cided to appropriate the surplus. But how was it to be taken across 
the hot desert and through the mountains? A huge cement pipe 
was built so that the water could not waste on the way and the 
mountains were pierced by tunnels several miles long. The total 
length of the acqueduct in its winding course is 260 miles. 

Thus with infinite labor a river of water, sufficient to supply 
two million people, was brought from its basin beyond the moun- 
tains and deserts into another region where Nature never intended 
it to go. 

Are there any other rivers that can be brought into South- 
ern California? 

Imperial Valley, once a part of the Colorado Desert, is being- 
transformed into a garden of marvelous fertility by means of water 
brought from the Colorado River. 



176 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

The jMohave River flows into the desert from the northern slope 
of the San Bernardino Mountains, but it would necessitate a tun- 
nel many miles long to turn this back into the southern valleys. 

Since the coastal slope of Southern California is so completely 
shut in on the land side, how is it that rail and wagon 
roads can reach it? 

The mountains are not high and steep at all points. There are 
a number of gaps, or passes, as they are commonly called, and it 
is through these that the railroads and wagon roads have been built. 

If you had come over the Santa Fe Trail in the days before the 
railroad and had gone westerly across the Colorado Desert from 
Yuma, you would have found no gap in the Peninsula Range, for 
it forms a continuous barrier between the desert and the ocean. 
For this reason it was not until many years later, when Southern 
California had become thickly settled, that a railroad was built from 
San Diego to Yuma, giving direct Eastern connection for this im- 
portant seaboard city. 

If you had gone northwest from Yuma bound for Los Angeles, 
you would, after having passed the Salton Salt Marsh, have at length 
climbed upward through a broad, low gap until from a height of 
only 2000 feet you would have looked down upon the valley of 
San Bernardino. This is the San Gorgonio Pass and is the easiest 
of all the routes across the mountains. Upon either hand of the 
pass, like great guardians, stand the two lofty peaks, San Gorgonio 
and San Jacinto. 

If you had come over the Spanish Trail across the Mohave Des- 
ert, you would have ascended slowly to the summit of the Cajon 
Pass, which has an elevation of 4000 feet, and then have gone down 
the Tejon Cafion, which divides the San Gabriel from the San Ber- 
nardino Range. 

If, after reaching Los Angeles, you had wished to go to San 
Francisco, you would have had the choice of several routes, each 
one making use of low places in the mountains. 

You could have followed the route now taken by the Southern 
Pacific Railroad through the San Fernando Pass, up the Soledad 
Cafion and over its pass to the Mohave Desert. Then a journey 
of fifty miles across the desert, followed by the Tehachapi Pass, 
would lead you to Bakersfield in the San Joaquin Valley. 

Or you could have followed the old stage road farther west. 
This road went over the Francisquita Pass to Lake Elizabeth, 
skirted the desert instead of crossing it, and reached Bakersfield 
by the Tejon Pass. 

The new state highway between Los Angeles and Bakersfield 
follows the old stage road much of the way, but for twenty miles 
it has been cut in the sides and along the crest of a mountain ridge. 
This part is known as the "Ridge Road" and forms one of the most 
scenic automobile highways in California. 

If you had wished to avoid the desert entirely and most of the 
mountains, you could have followed the trail of the Padres, the 




Among the Palms and Orange Groves, Southern California 




Along El Camino Real 



CALIFORNIA 177 

King's Highway, or Camino Real, through San Fernando Valley and 
across the rolling hills to Ventura. Beyond which, in order to reach 
Santa Barbara, you would have had to pass close to the ocean, and 
perhaps get into the water if it were high tide. 

Have earthquakes had anything to do with the making of 
Southern California? 

If Southern California had not been a land of earthquakes there 
would have been no lofty mountains to condense the moisture of the 
.clouds and supply water as well as many other things necessary to 
the prosperity of this region. 

Long- ago this part of California was dotted with low moun- 
tains, such as remain in the Mohave Desert and about Riverside. 
The whole region must have been dry and barren with no pictur- 
esque scenery. 

Then there came a time of earthquakes. Fissures like those of 
the great earthquake of 1906 were formed in the earth and huge 
blocks of the solid earth began to rise and take on the form of 
mountains. 

The San Gabriel is the oldest of these earthquake mountains. 
It is so old that the streams have had time to carve a multitude of 
deep, precipitous canons between which the ridges are so sharp 
that there is often little more room than required by a trail. Such 
is the steepness of the slopes and the narrowness of the canons that 
there is not a single ranch throughout the main portion of the range. 

The San Bernardino Range was not made until a later time. 
It was lifted along a wonderful fissure which we find extending 
through the orange orchards in the edge of the valley. The line 
of this fissure is marked by springs, cienegas or meadows, and 
low ridges. 

We can follow this fissure far to the northwest until it con- 
nects with the one that made the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. 
This fissure was the scene of a severe earthquake in 1857, when the 
ground opened and slipped, making ridges and hollows. The Mor- 
mon settlers, who had then recently come to San Bernardino Val- 
ley, reported that the earthquake threw their horses and cattle to 
the ground. 

The summit of the San Bernardino Range is not at all like that 
of the San Gabriel. This range is so much younger that the streams 
have not yet had time to cut deep canons in the once gentle slopes. 
A large part of the surface of this lofty region remains much as it 
was when it w^as a lowland. There is a beautiful drive for many 
miles along the flat top of the northern portion of the range, and 
back of this are numerous valleys and green meadows. The Bear 
Valley reservoir occupies one of these large valleys. 

We will now visit the San Jacinto Valley, to the north of which 
rises the steep slope of the San Jacinto Mountains. We know that 
this range was also formed by earthquakes, for a fissure extends 
along its base in the edge of the valley. Severe earthquakes have 
occurred here since the valley was settled. 



178 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

We now will travel southwesterly across a country made up 
of low and very old mountains which have been almost worn down. 
We finally reach the pretty Temecula-Elsinore Valley. This is an 
earthquake valley, but made long ago. The steep mountain wall, 
beginning near Temecula and ending with the Santa Ana Moun- 
tains, many miles to the northwest, was made by earthquakes. 

Long ago the region of the Temecula-Elsinore Valley sank, leav- 
ing a great mountain wall on the west. In a portion of this sunken 
valley lies Lake Elsinore. The San Jacinto River, which feeds the 
lake, once flowed directly west to the ocean across where now the 
Elsinore Mountains rise 2000 feet above the valley. Is it not strange 
and wonderful how Nature has broken and changed the surface of 
the earth, lifting it in some places and dropping it in others? 

From these things we learn that the mountain ranges of South- 
ern California are great blocks of the earth's crust which were raised 
high in the air during repeated earthquakes. We learn also that 
since their uplift the mountains have been much worn away by run- 
ning water, and that the newer ones have gentle upland slopes, 
while the older ones have sharp ridges and deep, narrow cafions. 
If it were not for earthquakes, then, this region Avould be an almost 
uninhabitable waste. 

What other forces have aided the earthquakes in making the 

scenery of this region? 

The earthquakes made the lofty mountain ranges somewhat as 
they would appear if all the cafions were filled up and the tops 
of the ridges smoothed off. The picturesque appearance of these 
mountains as they rise before us today is the result of many forces 
of Nature which are quietly and invisibly working all about us. 

Heat and cold and carbonic acid make the rocks crumble and 
turn to clay and sand. The waters of the winter storms pick up 
the little particles and carry them down to the valleys. They also 
pick up larger fragments which grind along the bottom of the chan- 
nels, ever wearing them deeper. Thus the deep caiions and sharp, 
jagged peaks have been made. 

Mounts San Gorgonio and San Bernardino form the highest land 
in Southern California. Upon their northern slopes there were once 
small glaciers. These glaciers were the most southerly ones which 
ever existed in the United States. They have left two little lakes 
and long ridges of loose rock called moraines to show that they were 
once here. This loose rock holds vast quantities of water, giving rise 
to the great springs which form the chief source of the summer 
flow of the Santa Ana River. 

Long ago there were volcanoes in Southern California, but the 
lava has mostly decayed and been washed away. A remnant of 
lava is still to be seen upon the Santa Rosa Plateau west of Te- 
mecula, where it forms a peculiar table mountain. 

What mineral deposits has Southern California? 

The two most important mineral products of California are 
quite unlike. The first discovered was gold, which is found in many 



CALIFORNIA 179 

parts of the higher mountains. The second is petroleum, which is 
found iti the lower mountains and hills and sometimes in the valleys. 

The oil deposits of Southern California are found in two belts. 
One extends from Fullerton, past Whittier to Los Angeles and west 
toward Santa Monica. The other extends nearly the whole length 
of the Santa Clara Valley in Ventura County. 

The oil is so deeply hidden in the earth that, although springs 
of thick oil, often called brea, have been known from the earliest 
days, it was many years before it was found in large quantities. 
Thus Nature, having given this region small supplies of wood, and 
only one coal deposit, that at Elsinore, has more than made up for 
the lack of other fuels in the vast stores of oil. 

The dark, thick oil is best for fuel purposes and is obtained 
from the shallower wells. Some of the wells are 4000 feet deep 
and the oil from these is light and thin. The gas which accompan- 
ies the oil is used for lighting as well as for running machinery. 

The light oil is best suited for refining. From it is produced 
gasoline and the clear petroleum which is used in lamps. The heavy 
residues from refining are used for innumerable purposes, such as 
lubricating machinery, and making paraffine and dyes. 

Near Los Angeles is a large area covered with springs and 
pools of thick, tar-like oil or brea. These springs have existed for 
thousands of years, and contain a most wonderful record of the 
animals and birds that formerly inhabited California. 

Attracted by the salty water, large numbers of animals and 
birds fell or were crowded into the tar, where they died. This tar 
preserved their skeletons in a remarkably perfect condition. Thou- 
sands of specimens belonging to hundreds of different species have 
been dug out and arranged for study. 

The first placer gold known in California was found in the moun- 
tains north of the upper Santa Clara River near the stage road run- 
ning from Bakersfield to Los Angeles. 

Gold-bearing quartz veins have been worked in many parts of 
the Sierra Madre Mountains and in the Peninsula Range. 

Other minerals of value in various industries are scattered 
through the mountains. At Colton is a hill of limestone used in the 
manufacture of quick-lime and cement. In Riverside County are beds 
of clay used in making an excellent quality of sewer pipe. Another 
quality of clay or kaolin found here is suitable for pottery and porcelain. 

In Riverside County there are also deposits of asbestos, talc 
and other minerals. In San Diego County are found beautiful tour- 
malines, valuable for jewelry. 

^^'hat four sorts of slopes has Southern California, each with 
its own soil, climate and productions? 

1. The mountains and highland valleys: The mountain slopes 
are usually steep and rocky and but few people live upon them. 
The valleys, w^hich are above 4000 feet, are most numerous in the 
San Bernardino Range. They are too cold for profitable farming 
and are used as pasture lands. 



180 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



The mountain valleys from 4000 feet down to 1500 feet are nu- 
merous in San Diego and Riverside Counties. They support many 
people who gain a livelihood from raising stock, grain and decidu- 
ous fruits, among which the apple is the most important. 

2. The mesas and slopes about the bases of the mountains: 

All about the bases of the mountains are broad, gently inclined 
slopes which from a distance appear' as even as a plain. Pasadena 
is built upon a slope of this kind which extends along the base of 
the mountains all around the northern and eastern sides of the Los 
Angeles-San Bernardino Valley. We travel over this slope in going 
from Pasadena to San Bernardino. 

Back of San Bernardino and Redlands the streams have car- 
ried away the lower parts of these slopes, so that they have the 
appearance of mesas lying against the mountains. 

These lands have a gentle, even slope, because they were built 
up by water and are found always in regions of light rainfall. The 
torrential streams of winter coming down through the mountain 
canons loaded with rock fragments spread out upon reaching the 
valleys and drop the greater part of their burdens. 

The name debris fan is often given to a deposit built up in this 
manner. If you will stop and think how deltas are formed, you will 
see that a debris fan is really one kind of a delta. Many such debris 




A wonderful spring which helps to keep up the summer flow of the Santa Ana 

River. The water issues from glacial gravels on north 

vslope of San Gorgonio. 



CALIFORNIA 



181 



fans or cones joined together make the great plain of which we are 
speaking, which lies about the bases of the mountains. 

If you could visit the Tejunga River as it flows through the San 
Fernando Valley in time of flood, you would see how the streams 
build up these debris fans. They wander here and there without 
any banks, cutting away the gravel in one place, building it up in 
another, spreading out sometimes a mile or more in width. 

The soil of these slopes and mesas is usually a sandy or grav- 
elly loam, well drained and very fertile. Their soil and climate are 
suited to growing the best and sweetest oranges, and so we find 
upon them the most extensive groves in Southern California. They 
are more free from frost than the lower land along the streams, and 
are for that reason much sought after. 

3. The hills and mountain valleys below 1500 feet: There are 
large areas of land, including southern Ventura County, parts of the 
San • Fernando, Temecula-Elsinore, Ferris, San Jacinto and other 
valleys, which are better adapted to diversified farming. In these 
we find orchards of both citrus and deciduous fruits, large grain- 
fields and thousands of cattle. 

4. The lowland valleys and coastal region: The bottom lands 
along the streams are more frosty than those of the two divisions 
which have just been described. They are especially suited to dairy- 
ing, the growing of alfalfa and sugar beets. A large sugar factory 
is located at Chino. Corn and all sorts of vegetables do well upon 
these lands. 

The lowlands of the coastal region form one of the most impor- 




Celery field on the rich bottom land of the Los Angeles plain. 



182 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

tant bean-growing districts of our country. The soil is a sandy- 
loam and is also suited to sugar beets. 

Along the coast south of Los Angeles the soil contains much 
humus and is known as peat land. Here are grown valuable crops 
of celery and asparagus. 

How Southern California looked when the ocean stood higher 
than it does now. 

On the slopes of San Pedro Hill, which rises all alone upon the 
coast southwest of Los Angeles, there are ancient ocean cliffs, the 
highest of which is 1200 feet above the present ocean. Since most 
of the valleys of this region are not as high as that, they must have 
been submerged at the time the waves beat against this cliff, and 
the geography must have been very different from what it is now. 

We will take the inclined railway back of Pasadena and ascend 
to Mt, Lowe, from which point we look over a great stretch of coun- 
try. Upon a summer morning when the fog covers all the lowlands, 
we can form a picture of how the country looked when it was sub- 
merged 1200 feet by imagining the fog with its waves to represent 
the ocean. 

On the north and northeast the San Gabriel and San Bernar- 
dino Ranges rise boldly above the fog. On the east of this great 
bay of fog appears San Jacinto and other scattering mountains. On 
the southeast the Santa Ana Mountains rise all alone with a bay 
of fog behind them. On the west the Santa Monica Range appears 
as a long ridge, while the San Fernando Valley forms a great cir- 
cular bay open to the ocean through the cafion of the Los An- 
geles River. 

What valley is that across which we look from Mt. Lowe? 

As the fog disappears we look over a vast lowlandv region 
stretching from the ocean eastward to the base of the San Ber- 
nardino Range. In the middle of this lowland and dividing it into 
two parts appear the broad and low Puente Hills stretching away 
to the Santa Ana Mountains. 

The western part of this lowland, extending from the City of 
Los Angeles south and west to the ocean, is the Valley of Los 
Angeles, sometimes called the Plain of Los Angeles because of its 
smooth and even surface. 

The eastern part of the lowland lying beyond the Puente Hills 
is the San Bernardino Valley. It contains a number of isolated 
peaks, while branching valleys extend away to the south. 

The two valleys are connected by the broad, gentle slope along 
the base of the San Gabriel Range and by the Canon of the Santa 
Ana River. Because the hills which divide this region into two 
parts are low, and the mountains which surround it are high, we 
speak of it as one great valley, calling it the Los Angeles - San 
Bernardino Vallev. 



CALIFORNIA 



183 



How is this valley watered? 

Our study of California has already taught us that we cannot 
tell how large a stream is by the area of its basin. The amount of 
water which it carries is dependent far more upon the position, 
height and extent of. the mountains in which it takes its rise. 

The Santa Ana has not only the largest basin of any river in 
Southern California, but it also has the advantage of rising in the 
highest mountains. Its summer flow is much increased by large 
springs in the glacial gravels on the north slope of San Gorgonio 
and San Bernardino Peaks and also by summer thunderstorms which 
at times are very heavy. Bear Valley Reservoir, one of the largest 
in Southern California, is also tributary to the Santa Ana River, 

The Santa Ana River supplies water for irrigating the exten- 
sive orange groves about Redlands and Riverside. Between the point 
where the river breaks through the Santa Ana Mountains and the 
ocean, it splits up into a number of channels which are dry most 
of the year, although an abundance of water can be obtained from 
shallow wells dug in the channels. 

The San Gabriel is the next most important river. It rises 
in the highest peaks of the San Gabriel Range, but it also is dry 
long before reaching the ocean. The river carries a great volume 
of water after the winter storms, but it flows through such deep, 
narrow caiions that no reservoirs have yet been built to save its 
flood waters. 




An ostrich farm near Los Angeles. 



184 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

The Tejunga River, which furnished most of the water for the 
City of Los Angeles before the building of the great acqueduct, is 
a most curious stream. It rises in the San Gabriel Range and flows 
west into the San Fernando Valley, where, during most of the year, 
it sinks in its sandy bed. At the lower end of the valley it reap- 
pears as springs and below these is known as the Los Angeles River. 

The bed of a river which is dry throughout most of the year 
and contains water only during times of fllood is called a wash. 
All streams of desert and semi-desert regions have channels of this 
kind, marked by lines of pebbles and boulders. The wash has usu- 
ally no distinct channel or banks, for its bed is often above the 
level of the adjacent country. Such a torrential stream is difficult 
for railroads to bridge because the waters are as likely to flow in 
one place as in another. 

The three rivers which we have mentioned fiow across the 
Plain of Los Angeles in channels which branch here and there and 
are forever changing like those of the deltas of the Mississippi and 
Colorado Rivers, 

How is it that the Tejunga furnishes much less water in sum- 
mer than it ought? 

Many square miles of the mountain basin of the Tejunga River 
have been burned over. Where once there was a pine forest now 
appears chaparral. The bed of the stream is exposed to the hot 
sun instead of being shaded, and now a large part of the summer 
flow is evaporated in the air. 

What determined the site of the Pueblo of Los Angeles? 

Portola, in the journey northward which resulted in the dis- 
covery of San Francisco Bay, passed the spot where Los Angeles 
now stands. Some time later, in the year 1781, the place being 
thought a favorable one for a settlement, a party of colonists was 
brought from Mexico. The chief object in making a settlement here 
was the raising of provisions for the soldiers in the presidios. 

An abundance of water in the Los Angeles River at the point 
where it breaks through the east end of the Santa Monica Range, 
and the broad, fertile plain spreading out to the south and west, 
were the two things which determined the position of the new set- 
tlement. It is not likely that the founders saw in the location any 
particular advantages for a great city, such as has sprung up here, 
but rather the immediate needs of a young colony. 

What are the advantages as well as disadvantages in the 

situation of Los Angeles? 

There were many things about the situation of Los Angeles 
which favored the growth of the little pueblo into an important 
place, when at last the attention of people began to be directed 
toward Southern California and settlers commenced to come in. 

The first of these advantages was its convenience of access from 
all parts of the south. It was on the King's Highway from San 
Diego to the North Coast Missions and settlements. In fact, no one 



CALIFORNIA 



185 



could g-o northward without passing by Los Angeles, The Cahuenga 
Pass to the northwest of the Pueblo and the Canon of the Los An- 
geles River on the north offered the only two convenient routes to 
the San Fernando Valley. From this valley two ways led north- 
ward — the King's Highway 
b}^ way of the coast valleys, 
and the other across the 
mountains and desert to the 
San Joaquin A'alley. 

All emigrants from the 
East coming by ' way of 
Southern California had first 
to go to Los Angeles if they 
wished to reach the mines. 
Los Angeles was, then, the 
terminus of both the Santa 
Fe Trail by way of Yuma 
and the Colorado Desert, 
and the Spanish Trail which 
led across the Mohave Des- 
ert and through the Cajon 
Pass to the Valley of San 
Bernardino. From the lat- 
ter place the traveler could 
follow either the broad slope 
along the base of the moun- 
tains past the Mission of 
San Gabriel or continue 
down the Santa Ana River 
through the mountains to 
the Plain of Los Angeles. 

Los Angeles was, even 
in the early days, an impor- 
tant meeting place for all 
the trails and roads of this 
region. For this reason it 
A scene in the business district of was also an important trad- 

Los Angeles. ing point. 

There were, however, disadvantages in the situation of Los 
Angeles. It Avas not on any navigable stream, nor had it any conven- 
ient water power before the days of electricity. Its most important 
disadvantage was its situation, sixteen miles inland from the sea. A 
situation on the sea was particularly important in the early days, 
when all freight and much of the travel had to come by water. San 
Diego and Monterej^ were much better off in this regard, but they 
were not on important land routes nor centrally located. 

Why has Los Angeles outgrown the other cities of Southern 
California? 

The central location of Los Angeles and the ease with which 




186 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



it could be reached, which were important things in the early days, 
have also been the chief causes of its growtlT in later years. 

The railroads when they came naturally followed the easiest 
routes, which were those of the old trails. They also found the 
terminus of the trails their most convenient terminus, and so the 
town became an important railroad center. For this reason it be- 
came the business and commercial center of the whole region. 

Every one of the old trails has been followed by a railroad ex- 
cept the stage route from Los Angeles to Bakersfield, and it is cer- 
tain that in time a railroad will follow this route a part of the way. 

The Southern Pacific came across the Colorado Desert and 
through the San Gorgonio Pass. The Santa Fe and Salt Lake Rail- 
roads came by way of the Cajon Pass and San Bernardino. The 
Santa Fe followed the old route down the coast to San Diego. 
The Southern Pacific went north across the mountains and desert 
to the San Joaquin Valley, and up the coast near the path of the 
King's Highway. 

How did Los Angeles become a seaport? 

As Los Angeles grew in commercial importance it began to feel 
the need of a port on the sea. Sixteen miles to the southwest lay 
the little harbor of San Pedro w^hich could be entered only by small 
coasting vessels. 

To make it possible for large boats to discharge cargoes there 




A s^pene in the residence district of Los Angeles. 



CALIFORNIA 187 

in safety, the Government has built a great breakwater two miles 
long. Thus there has been created an artificial outer harbor, com- 
modious and safe, in addition to the natural inner harbor, which 
is being enlarged and deepened. 

Los Angeles has become a deep-water port and can compete 
with other cities in foreign commerce. It has become a port, not 
by moving sixteen miles to the ocean, nor by digging a canal and 
bringing the ocean to itself, but by simply enlarging its boundaries 
to take in San Pedro. 

What other causes have aided in making Los Angeles one 
of the two largest cities in California? 

Los Angeles lies in the midst of an agricultural and fruit-grow- 
ing district of great extent and remarkable fertility. Upon all sides 
lie broad valleys of the richest soil which are becoming more highly 
cultivated and densely populated each year. Los Angeles is the 
natural center for supplies and for shipping fruit and other products. 

Los Angeles and the region about it has become renowned all 
over the United States for its mild and agreeable climate. Every 
winter sees Southern California filled with visitors. Many of these 
people buy land and make their homes there. This has been one of 
the most important reasons for the rapid growth of Los Angeles. 

How is it that Los Angeles, which remained an unimportant 
place for so long after San Francisco became a great 
city, suddenly began to grow rapidly and in a few years 
became its rival? 

As we have already learned, Southern California was too remote 
from the mines to be much affected by the early emigration. After 
the railroads came, and it was shown that this apparently dry region 
really had a large supply of water, and was well suited to the grow- 
ing of citrus fruits, and that it had in addition a mild and agree- 
able climate and attractive scenery, then the tide of emigration 
turned in this direction. 

No city in our country, except San Francisco during the gold 
excitement, ever grew so rapidly as Los Angeles. It became the 
goal of thousands of people who wished to escape the cold winters 
of the northern states. It has been the visitors and the settling 
up of the rich surrounding valleys rather than its commercial inter- 
ests that have made Los Angeles a great city. For this reason it 
is a more desirable place for a home than a city whose importance 
is based upon manufacturing. 

The industries and trade of Los Angeles. 

The manufacturing industries and foreign commerce are of less 
importance than those of San Francisco, because, as we have seen, 
the growth of the city has been due to other things. 

Los Angeles has, however, trade and manufacturing interests 
which are growing in importance. This growth is due to the in- 



188 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

crease in population of all Southern California, to the unlimited 
supplies of petroleum and natural gas for fuel and power, and to 
the making of the deep-water harbor at San Pedro. 

Los Angeles is the only city in our country that has an oil field 
within its limits. Hundreds of wells were at one time in operation 
in a thickly settled residence district. 

For what is Los Angeles particularly noted? 

Los Angeles is noted, first of all, for its climate. Its center is 
sixteen miles from the ocean, so that it occupies an intermediate 
position between the cool sea shore and the hot interior. 

Los Angeles is noted for the bustle and activity of its streets, 
and the energy of its people. The business section is now dotted 
with huge office buildings or "skyscrapers," which have taken the 
place of the smaller buildings of earlier days. 

The city has an excellent system of parks, covering in all about 
4000 acres. The largest of these is Griffith Park, which lies in the 
picturesque hills upon the northern border. Elysian is another large 
park and is given over to raising wild plants of all sorts. 

The mountain and seaside resorts reached from Los Angeles. 

A short ride takes one to Pasadena and the foot of the San Ga- 
briel Range, from whence an inclined railway ascends to a pleasant 
summer resort on a lofty spur of the mountains. Not far away is 
Mt. Lowe and its noted astronomical observatory. 

An hour's ride to the south brings one to Long Beach, an im- 
portant city which owes its beginnings and rapid growth to the 
attractions offered by its fine beach. The city is now developing 
important manufacturing industries. 

To the west is the picturesque city of Santa Monica, on Santa 
Monica Bay. Immediately adjoining on the south are the important 
summer resorts of Ocean Park and Venice, where during the height 
of the summer the beach presents one of the most picturesque scenes 
imaginable. Still farther along the beach toward the southward is 
Redonda, another attractive resort. 

Why are the lands about Los Angeles so fertile? 

Long ago the Plain of Los Angeles and the adjacent valleys 
were beneath the sea. The mountain streams brought mud and sand 
and the currents spread these over the bottom. When the land rose 
and the sea was pushed back to where it is today, a rich layer of 
earth covered the whole valley region. 

Back of the new shore line the land was low and marshy, with 
here and there little lakes such as we now see, in which grew tules 
and other water plants. These marshes after a time became the 
peat lands, which grow luxuriant crops of celery and asparagus. 

A large part of the vegetables and berries for the city market 
are grown upon the lowland along the Los Angeles River, where 
there is rich alluvial soil and plenty of water. 



CALIFORNIA 



189 



\Miat has made Pasadena the most famed winter resort in 
our country? 

Pasadena is situated 
upon a gently sloping plain 
at the foot of the steep and 
rugged San Gabriel Range. 
Its situation gives it a most 
agreeable and healthful cli- 
mate. It is protected from 
the desert winds and its ele- 
vation of 800 feet places it 
above the winter fogs which 
settle in the lowlands. It 
is less frosty in winter and 
cooler in summer than the 
lower valleys. 

For many years after 
San Francisco grew to be a 
great city, the land on which 
Pasadena stands continued 
to be a cattle and sheep 
range. When the winter 
visitors began to come, the 
value of this picturesque 
location was seen and a 
town sprang up. Today 
Pasadena is a beautiful 
city with its shaded streets 
anjd comfortable homes set 
among lawns and flower 
gardens. On the new year 
there is held a pageant and 
San Pedro Harbor. fiower festival. 

The country from Pasadena to San Bernardino. 

Continuing eastward along the base of the mountains toward 
San Bernardino we pass a continuous succession of orchards with 
here and there a vineyard. Flourishing towns are scattered thickly 
along the route. The largest of these is Pomona. 

The Valley of San Bernardino. 

The first settlers of this valley were Mormon emigrants from 
Utah who were attracted by the extensive meadows near where the 
city now stands. The Santa Ana River flows through the lower end 
of the valley, which is circular in shape. San Bernardino is situated 
in the center, while orange groves extend a^vay toward the moun- 
tains in almost every direction. 




190 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



What has made Redlands and Riverside famous? 

Wherever the navel orange has gone, there we hear Riverside 
and Redlands spoken of. It has made all this part of California 
famous and every visitor wants to see the place where it originated. 

Both cities are well built and attractive. They are especially 
noted for the beautiful drives which extend out into the country in 
every direction. The broad avenues are lined with different kinds 
of trees, including palms, while back of them lie groves of orange, 
pomelo and lemon trees, among which nestle pretty homes. 

From the top of Mt. Rubidoux, near Riverside, we can get a good 
idea of the geography of the valleys through which the Santa Ana 
River flows. Here and there appear barren granite mountains, con- 
trasting strangely with the green orange groves upon the smooth, 
fertile slopes about their bases. If it is winter, the blossoming 
trees make an interesting picture with the snow-covered mountains 
in the background. 

The San Jacinto, Perris and Elsinore-Temecula Valleys. 

These are three interesting valleys, which lie between earth- 
quake mountains. The San Jacinto, a very curious river, drains 
these valleys. It rises in the lofty San Jacinto Mountains, but sinks 
below the town of San Jacinto at the lower end of the valley. 

A short distance to the west the river rises again and during 




An avenue, Pasadena. 



CALIFORNIA 



191 



the rainy season flows on through Perris Valley to Lake Elsinore, 
The climate is so dry now that this lake rarely overflows, but long 
ago it was niflch wetter and a river ran out of the lake down the 
Temescal Valley to the Santa Ana. How the earthquakes made the 
Elsinore Mountains and the lake and turned the river away from 
its course to the ocean is a story of which we have already heard 
something. 

The three valleys of which we are speaking are not too high for 
oranges, which do well in parts of them, but the deciduous fruits 
are more extensively grown. These include pears, peaches, apricots 
and plums. Many olives are grown in the Temecula-Elsinore Val- 
ley. Perris Valley is largely devoted to grain and alfalfa, while fruit, 
alfalfa and grain are grown in the San Jacinto Valley. 

Why is the Santa Ana region so rich and productive? 

The city of Santa Ana is situated upon the southern part of the 
Plain of Los Angeles in the midst of a rich and fertile district, wa- 
tered by the Santa Ana River. 

This region has been the delta of the Santa Ana River for thou- 
sands of years. The alluvial soil is deep and an abundance of water 
is obtained at a slight depth. 

Upon the higher lands of the district, oranges, lemons and olives 
are growm. On the lowlands are orchards of walnuts, fields of corn 




Mission Inn, Riverside. 



192 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



and alfalfa. Nearer the coast, where it is cooler and moister, are 
extensive fields of lima beans, sugar beets, celery and asparagus. 

Why has the growth of San Diego been much slower than 
that of Los Angeles or San Francisco? 

San Francisco became a great city almost in a night because 
it had a good harbor and was near the gold mines with which it 
had direct and easy communication. It was the natural center for 
the distribution of supplies and the starting point for the mines of 
all those who came to California by water, 

A generation later Los Angeles, almost as quickly, became a 
city and a rival of San Francisco. This sudden growth was due 
to the coming of the railroads, to the central location, and the attrac- 
tions of a mild and healthful climate. 

San Diego is situated upon a bay of the same name in the ex- 
treme southern part of California. Although having the second best 
harbor upon the coast, it remained an unimportant place for many 
years. This was due in part to its lack of a central location, in part 
to the difficulty of building a railroad across the mountains which 
lay behind it and thus obtaining direct connection with the East, 
and partly to the belief that the country around the Bay of San 
Diego was dry and worthless, with little water for irrigation. 

What finally led to the growth of San Diego and the settle- 
ment of the surromiding comitry? 

The good harbor was of little use to San Diego until a railroad 
came and connected it with the outside world by land, so that peo- 
ple could reach the place easily, become acquainted with the pleas- 
ant climate and discover the fertility of the dry lands when water 
was taken to them. 

The country east of San Diego rises through many valleys to 
the summit of the broad Peninsula Rang'e with its heavy rainfall 
and forests of pine. Beyond the mountains lie the Colorado Desert, 




Chula Vista grammar school near San Diego. 



CALIFORNIA 



193 



and Imperial Valley. Although one branch of the old Santa Fe 
Trail led over these mountains, yet it was some years after Los 
Angeles had railroads before an attempt was made to build a rail- 
road across them because of the absence of any easy pass like the 
San Gorgonio. A railroad has now been completed across the Pen- 
insula Range through Imperial Valley to Yuma, so that the city has 
finally secured a direct eastern outlet. 

The first railroad that reached San Diego came by way of San 
Bernardino, Elsinore and the Temecula Canon, because this was 
the easiest route. Finally a line was built directly down the coast 
following the trail of the Padres. The coast lands were found to 
be so rough that many difficulties were encountered in its building. 
For the first few miles the line south of San Juan Capistrano has 
taken advantage of a strip of sandy beach underneath lofty clififs. 
This was made possible because the coast has recently risen a few 
feet, so that the waves no longer beat against the old cliff. 

With the railroad came winter visitors who found at San Diego 
a remarkably mild winter and summer climate. Great hotels were 
built, the finest being upon the peninsula in front of the bay. Upon 
the ocean side of the hotel is fine surf bathing, while upon the other 
side are the quiet waters of the bay, suitable for boating. 

Mission Valley, like many others that cut through the mesa 
lying between the mountains and the ocean, has been cultivated since 
the days of the Padres. As the population grew in numbers and the 
need of water increased, it was found that, by building reservoirs 
in the mountains to retain the heavy rainfall on these high lands, 
an abundance of water could be had. 

When canals had been dug and water supplied to the mesas, 
whose desert-like character had given the country a forbidding ap- 
pearance, they proved to be rich and productive. 

Easy -means of access by steamer or cars, a delightful climate 








Mt. San Antonio (Old Baldy) from near Santa Ana. 



194 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



and an abundance of water for irrigation brought many thousands 
of visitors, large numbers of whom remained and made their homes. 
San Diego has become the fourth largest city in the state, and 
is growing rapidly. It has important commercial advantages, one 
of which is the fact that it is the nearest city to the Panama Canal 
upon the Pacific Coast of the United States. 

The attractions of the San Diego Bay region. 

San Diego has the safest bay on the coast for pleasure boating. 
Directly in front of the bay and separating it from the ocean is the 
Coronado Peninsula with its great hotel, beach and surf bathing. 
Upon Point Loma, which incloses the bay upon the west, is a noted 
theosophical school and naval station. 

A few miles to the north are the famous La Jolla caves and 
seaside resort. To the southeast is the Mexican town of Tia Juana 
with its interesting inhabitants. In the edge of the mountains lies 
the great Sweetwater reservoir and the beautiful Cajon Valley. 

On the mesa back of the city is its great park, once covered 
with sage brush but now turned into a beautiful garden, in the 
midst of which has been built in old Spanish style the attractive 
buildings of the Panama Exposition. 

What has made possible the development her,e of a rich fruit 
and agricultural district? 

In the Peninsula Range which extends south through San Diego 
County into Lower California, we find the source of the prosperity 




The Plaza, San Diego. 



CALIFORNIA 



195 



of the region. Without the mountains there would be no water for 
irrigation, and the larger part of the thousands of acres of fertile 
land along the coast, which receives only ten inches of rain annu- 
ally, would have remained sparsely settled. 

The winters are so mild near the ocean that the scanty rains 
do more good than they would in most parts of the state. On ordi- 
nary years they will produce grain and a good growth of natural 
forage. Such products as grapes and almonds and walnuts can be 
grown without irrigation if the land is well cultivated. 

As we ascend the mountains from the coast, the rainfall in- 
creases, and on their summits it is nearly as heavy as in the high 
mountains lying back of the Los Angeles-San Bernardino Valle3^ 
Many rivers rise in these mountains, but they ordinarily sink in 
their sandy beds before reaching the ocean. Reservoirs are being 
built near their sources and there will finally be enough water avail- 
able to irrigate all the lands that need it. 

In what way is the Peninsula Range of more importance than 
the San Gabriel? 

The San Gabriel Range rises very boldly from the Los Angeles- 
San Bernardino Valley, and because of its narrow caiions and steep 
slopes contains almost no inhabitants. 

The Peninsula Range, on the contrary, rises gradually and has 
many valleys inhabited by people engaged in stock raising, general 
farming, and fruit growing. 

The lower mountain valleys grow citrus fruits of the best qual- 
ity, as well as olives and figs, but are particularly noted for their 
excellent raisins. The upper valleys are adapted to growing the de- 




San Gorgonio Pass from the desert slope; the best of all the gateways from 
the east to the coastal slope of California. 



196 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



ciduous fruits, the Julian district being especiall}^ noted for the qual- 
ity of its apples. 

The most of the mountain valleys are dotted with oaks. Above 
5000 feet are forests of pines, which are most extensive on Cuy- 
amaca Mountain. 

What four sorts of slopes, each with its own productions, do 
we find in San Diego region? 

The first slope is the rough granite mountains which, above 
5000 feet, support forests of pine, cedar, sugar pine and fir. 

The second slope includes the oak-dotted mountain valleys with 
their orchards of different fruits. 

The third slope is formed by the lower alluvial valleys which 
extend down to the ocean. The soil of these valleys is very fertile. 
The first cultivated lands were in these lower valleys, since water 
for irrigation was easily obtained. 

The fourth slope includes the mesas which rise to an elevation 
of 1000 feet along the base of the mountains and slope toward the 
ocean. They were left by nature dry and barren, but under the 
influence of water they produce abundantly. 

What gems have made San Diego famous? 

Gold mines have been worked for many years in the Julian dis- 
trict, but the minerals which have made San Diego famous are beau- 
tiful gems known as tourmaline and Kunzite. These crystals, with 
their clear, greenish and reddish tints, are prized very highly for 
all kinds of jewelry, and by some people are admired almost as much 
as diamonds. 




Seventeen Palms Spring in the Barego Desert, west of Imperial Valley. 



CALIFORNIA 197 



How can we account for the salt lagoons which are found 
along the coast? 

This question leads to the interesting story of how the ocean 
and the land have changed places. 

Once the ocean stood high along the mountains as it did in the 
Los Angeles region. The streams brought down sand and gravel 
and distributed it over the bottom, making the gently sloping plain 
which we know as the mesa. 

Then the land began to rise and the shore retreated until it was 
far out under the present ocean. The rivers ran down across the 
mesa and cut canons which finally widened to valleys. These are 
the valleys in which the first missions and settlements were located. 

After this the land sank again and the ocean flooded the lower 
ends of the valleys. The ocean weaves threw up pebbly beaches 
across the fronts of these bays and formed the salty lagoons which 
we find there today. 

The land and ocean seem ever fighting for the mastery. The 
last victory in this region has been won by the land, for the ocean 
has abandoned the cliffs below San Juan and built a beach in front 
which, as we have learned, is now used by the Santa Fe Railroad. 

The story of Point Loma and San Diego Bay. 

Point Loma was once an island behind which the waves and 
currents made a long, shallow bar, which was the beginning of the 
Coronado Peninsula. The San Diego River brought down so much 
mud and sand during floods that it finally built a delta out to the 
island, and in this way made San Diego Bay and False Bay. 

The story of Point Loma is also interesting because long ago 
it was visited by earthquakes so severe that the layers of rocks were 
broken in hundreds of places and shoved past each other. This, as 
we have learjied, is one of Nature's ways of making mountains. 

The country between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara where 
g^old and petroleum were first discovered. 

Gold and petroleum are the most valuable minerals of Cali- 
fornia, and both are found in the mountainous region which includes 
Ventura and parts of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties. 

If we could look down from an aeroplane upon this region, it 
would appear at first sight to be covered almost wholly with moun- 
tains ; a careful look, however, would show one long valley. This 
is the Santa Clara, sunk deep among the mountains and widening 
to form a plain as it approaches the ocean. North of Los Angeles 
we could make out the San Fernando Valley, almost circular in 
shape, and in the mountains north of the city of Ventura the beau- 
tiful Ojai Valley. 

The mountains of the northern part of this district are high 
and rugged, for this is the meeting point of many ranges. The Te- 
hachapi comes from, the east, the Sierra Madre from the southeast, 
and the Santa Ynez and Coast Ranges from the west. 



198 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



The group formed by their meeting point is called the San Eme- 
dio Mountains. From the summit of Pine Mountain, the highest 
peak, nearly 10,000 feet above the ocean, we can look into four of 
the seven California provinces. These are the Mohave Desert (a 
part of the Great Basin), Southern California, the Coast Ranges, 
and the San Joaquin Valley. 

The few people who live in this remote mountainous district 
depend upon mining and stock raising for a living. 

The Santa Clara River has a basin next in size to that of the 
Santa Ana River in Southern California. Most of the year the 
Santa Clara River carries little water on the surface, for it flows a 
long distance over a sandy bed. 

How do the mountains and valleys determine the lines of 
travel ? 

The mountains north of the Santa Clara Valley are so rough 
and steep and cut by so many deep caiions that no road has been 
built across them. We have already learned that two main routes 
were opened from Los Angeles northward^one, going to the east 
of these mountains, has been described; the other, going to the 
west, was known as the King's Highway. 

The King's Highway led from Los Angeles through the Ca- 
huenga Pass in the Santa Monica Range, skirted the San Fernando 
Valley, crossed the high valleys of Ventura County (sometimes 







The beautiful beach at Santa Barbara. 



CALIFORNIA 199 

called the Semi Plateau) to the mission town of San Buena Ven- 
tura. Where the rugged mountains of which we have spoken come 
down to the ocean, a few miles northwest of Ventura, the trail led 
down to the beach under the cliffs. 

There is one other route, in addition to the King's Highway, 
by which we can go from Los Angeles to Ventura. That is by 
the old Bakersfield stage route through the San Fernando Valley 
and over the pass of the same name to the upper Santa Clara 
River. From here there is an open valley leading all the way to 
the ocean. This route has been used by the Southern Pacific Rail- 
road, but as it was not direct, a new line was opened by tunneling 
through the Santa Susana Mountains at the western end of the 
San Fernando Valley. 

How has the roughness of this region between Los Angeles 
and Santa Barbara affected its settlement and industries? 

Because the interior is made up almost wholly of mountains, 
the larger part of the population lives in the valleys near the coast. 

The higher mountain slopes support a growth of oak and pine. 
The middle and lower slopes north of the Santa Clara Valley are 
covered with brush, while south of the valley they are more open 
and grassy. The raising of cattle and sheep was, then, the leading 
industry until the discovery of large quantities of oil. 

The mountains upon both sides of the Santa Clara Valley, 
throughout nearly its whole length, have been found to contain 
great stores of oil. In traveling through this valley one is hardly 
ever out of sight of oil derricks. 

The oil was first obtained from springs. Then tunnels were 
run in the mountain sides and the oil was allowed to run out. Now 
most of the oil is pumped from wells, some of which are nearly 
4000 feet deep. 

What is there about the Santa Clara Valley which makes it 
excel in the production of sugar beets, beans and lemons? 

The valley widens as it approaches the ocean and forms a fer- 
tile plain of many miles' extent. This lower part, being exposed to 
the cool, 'damp ocean winds, is not suited to growing fruits, but 
does produce luxuriant crops of beets and beans. The quantities 
of these two things raised here are in excess of any other district 
in California. At Oxnard there is a factory for making sugar from 
the beets. 

A little farther up the valley from the ocean, the climate is 
warmer and suited to the growing of lemons. And so we find here 
some of the largest lemon groves, and also orchards of walnuts 
and olives. 

If we continue up the valley we soon leave behind the cool 
ocean winds and find that groves of orange and pomelo predominate. 

The picturesque Ojai Valley, north of Ventura, produces a great 
variety of fruits, and is also an important honey district. 

How industries in this region are determined by the water sup- 



200 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

ply is shown in the San Fernando Valley. The eastern part is a 
rich and highly cultivated fruit district, because there water has 
been easily obtained for irrigation. The western end of the valley 
has little water of its own for irrigation and was for years devoted 
chiefly to stock and grain. Now the Los Angeles acqueduct sup- 
plies water to this dry region, so that orchards and alfalfa fields and 
comfortable homes are spreading over it. 

The Santa Barbara coastal plain was once beneath the ocean. 

If there had been no Santa Barbara coastal plain extending 
along the base of the Santa Ynez Range, the early explorers would 
probably not have been able to make their way northward and the 
story of California would have been different. 

We have learned how the shores of California have played see- 
saw with the ocean. The Plain of Santa Barbara is a strip of rich 
land which the ocean did not steal when last the coast sank. Like 
the Plain of Los Angeles, it was formed beneath the water from 
the mud and sand which the streams brought d-own from the land. 

Although the climate is mild, few oranges are grown there, for 
they do not thrive in the ocean air. The region is especially suited 
to the growing of olives and walnuts, and some of the largest 
orchards in the state are situated there. 

Why is Santa Barbara attractive both in winter and summer? 

The lofty mountain wall upon the north shuts ofif the cold 
winds of winter. Point Conception, extending far out into the ocean, 
and the islands lying opposite across the channel, aid in making the 
summer warmer and less foggy than other places on the coast. 

The old mission is well preserved and is much visited. There 
are laree tourist hotels and an attractive bathins: beach. 




Date palm grove at the experiment station, Coachella. 



CALIFORNIA 



201 



The manner in which Santa Barbara gets its water shows us 
again how men can overcome Nature. The Santa Ynez River is 
on the north side of the Santa Ynez Range and flows far away to 
the west through a thinly settled country. The city needed more 
water and so it was brought by a tunnel, several miles long, which 
was dug through the mountains, and now the river serves thou- 
sands of people. 

In what forms is petroleum found near Santa Barbara? 

In the vicinity of Santa Barbara are valuable deposits of a dried 
out oil which is solid at ordinary temperatures but becomes liquid 
when heated. This is known as bitumen or asphaltum. It is quar- 
ried, melted down to get rid of the impurities, and shipped for use 
as street paving material. 

At Summerland, oil wells have been drilled out in the edge 
of the ocean. The tar which is continually washing ashore tells us 
that somewhere out under the ocean in Santa Barbara Channel are 
extensive deposits of oil. 

Why are the islands off the coast of Southern California so 
interesting:? 

A number of islands lie scattered 
off the coast of Southern California, 
two of them being nearly sixty 
miles from the mainland. These 
islands are interesting because they 
are the tops of mountains which 
were once a part of the continent. 
Between them and the shore the 
water is quite shallow in most 
parts and the ocean floor is smooth 
like the surface of the Los Angeles 
and Santa Barbara Plains, which 
were once beneath it. The sound- 
ings show that outside of the is- 
lands the bottom slopes down rap- 
idly to the depths of the Pacific 
Ocean. 

The islands rise, then, from a 
submerged part of the continent, 
as we have already learned (page 
200). If people had lived in Cal- 
ifornia when the islands were con- 
nected with the mainland, the 
broad plains which would then 
have been exposed would not only 
have afforded a vast area of rich 
An artesian well, Coachella Valley, farming land, but would have made 
travel up and down the coast very much easier than it is now. 




202 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



Why do so few people live upon these islands? 

Many Indians once lived upon the islands, supporting them- 
selves upon fish and molluscs, for the sea about them is full of life. 
The islands are not suited to farming, for the slopes are generally 
steep and dry. There are few springs and no trees except a few 
oaks which grow in the canons. The main use to which the islands 
are put is pasturing cattle, sheep and goats. 

Santa Catalina Island has become noted as a resort. At Avalon 
there has grown up one of the most popular seaside resorts. Bath- 
ing, boating and fishing are the chief attractions. 

Why is the fishing industry of Southern California important 'f 

The catch of the fishermen comes from comparatively shallow 
water. In the shallow water the fish find their food and a suitable 
spawning ground. 

The large area of shallow water along the coast of Southern 
California about the islands and reefs favors the growth of immense 
numbers of fish and the development of an important industry. 

A fish preserve has been established about the shores of Santa 
Catalina Island. Within a distance of three miles from the land, 
no fish may be taken with a net or set hooks. This is an impor- 
tant spawning ground and it was found that certain fish were in 
danger of extinction unless they were protected. 




Picking cotton, Imperial Valley. 



CALIFORNIA 



203 



The magic transformation of the Colorado Desert into a land 
of almost incredible riches. 

Nature usually works so slowly that it takes hundreds of years 
to bring- about important changes on the surface of the earth, but in 
the desert men have wrought a wonderful change almost in a night. 

Prospectors who in early days crossed the Colorado Desert from 
Yuma to San Diego passed over a broad plain where they often 
suffered greatly from heat and thirst. The dark, rich soil supported 
only thorny bushes and curious desert animals. Along the ancient 
desert trail there are now miles upon miles of cultivated lands and 
many thousands of people. 

Those who followed the trail from Yuma to Los Angeles, or 
who in later years rode in comfortable cars over the same route, 
passed by a glistening salt marsh occupying a basin of 240 feet 
below the level of the ocean. During the early part of one summer 
this salt basin and the desert about it was, in the course of a few 
months, changed into a lake forty miles in length. How have such 
sudden changes come about? 

The work of the Colorado River. 

The Colorado River, when swollen with the water of the melt- 
ing snows of the far-off Rocky Mountains, is yellow in color and 
thick with mud. If a quart bottle is filled with the water and 
allowed to settle, there will appear nearly a quarter of an inch 
of sediment in the bottom. What has the river done with all this 
mud which it has been bringing down for many thousands of years? 

Long ago the Gulf of California extended north to where the 




A natural cactus garden in the Borego Desert west of Imperial Valley. 



204 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

town of Indio now stands. The mouth of the Colorado River was 
then near Yuma. Year after year the fine silt or mud which the 
river brought down was dropped in the gulf until a delta of solid 
land had been built across it to the Peninsula of California. 

The river ran here and there over the delta, continually chang- 
ing its channel. Sometimes it flowed into the gulf to the south, 
and sometimes into the lake which the delta had formed by cutting 
off the northern end of the gulf. 

As the years passed, the river emptied less frequently into the 
lake and its waters began to dry up, leaving at last only a marsh 
of glistening salt in its lowest part. This was known as the Sal- 
ton Sink. 

The making of Coachella and Imperial Valleys. 

The channel by which the water of the Colorado River for- 
merly emptied into the Salton Sink is known as New River. This 
channel suggested the possibility of irrigating the desert. The soil 
was believed to be hundreds of feet deep. It was dark and rich 
and, under the influence of the hot semi-tropic sun, should produce 
abundantly if water could be had. 

A canal was dug from the Colorado River and water was 
carried over the desert plain. The lands were cleared of brush, 
plowed and planted. The desert has now become one of the richest 
regions of California. All the sub-tropic fruits grow here and many 
of them ripen much earlier than elsewhere because of the early 
warm spring. 

Here there are now thousands of acres of alfalfa, supporting 
great herds of cattle. There are cotton fields, vineyards and orch- 
ards and vast fields of cantaloupes which ripen and are gone before 
summer comes in the north. 

A large part of the desert yet remains to be irrigated. Upon 
the delta of the Colorado River is growing up a community which 
in time will rival in wealth those famous people of long ago who 
dwelt upon the deltas of the Nile and Euphrates Rivers. 

The Coachella Valley forms the northern arm of the Colorado 
Desert, and Indio is its chief town. Here the Arab from North 
Africa or from Aral^ia Avould find himself at home, for his favorite 




Mud volcanoes, Imperial Valley. 



CALIFORNIA 205 

food is produced in abundance. More than a million date palms 
have been set out and their fruit equals in every respect the dates 
from Asia and Africa. 

The Story of the Salton Sea. 

During a certain year, when the Colorado was very high, the 
water broke through the head gates of the irrigating canal and 
flowed in a mighty torrent down the old channel of New River 
into the Salton Basin. Before the water could be stopped, it had 
done great damage to the farms along its course and had formed 
a large lake, covering hundreds of square miles. It flooded the Sal- 
ton Salt Works and compelled the railroad to move its tracks to 
higher ground. The water also covered some interesting mud vol- 
canoes in the midst of the desert. 

Far above the present lake, on the borders of the mountains, 
is an old beach and wave-cut cliff made long ago. Fresh-water 
shells can still be picked up along this old beach. 

Salton Sea will finally dry up and the salt marsh will reappear 
unless the river breaks in again. 

SUMMARY. 

Southern California is a land of mountains and valleys. It has 
many sorts of climate and for that reason a great variety of pro- 
ductions. 

The valleys receive a light rainfall and could never have be- 
come thickly settled if it had not been for the mountains on Avhich 
the rains and snows are heavy. 

In no other part of our country are there such wonderful con- 
trasts. Snow-covered mountains look down upon blossoming orange 
groves, and forbidding deserts surround gardens of almost tropical 
luxuriance. 

Southern California was little influenced by the gold excitement 
and its settlement was slow for many years. 

As soon as the railroads were built into this region so that 
it could be reached easily, and people had discovered what a mild 
and healthful climate it had, settlers and visitors began to come 
by the thousands. 

Irrigation systems were built and soon the dry slopes began 
to be covered with orchards of every description. 

Southern California is most noted for its climate, its scenery, 
its navel oranges, its cotton and cantaloupe fields. To these must 
soon be added dates, which are becoming- one of its important 
products. 

Los Angeles, because of its favorable situation, has become the 
metropolis of the south and one of the two largest cities of the state. 



206 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

REVIEW EXERCISES. 

Why is Southern California difficult to study? 

What barriers separate Southern from Central California? What 
barriers separate it from the East? 

Trace on the map the watershed. Where is the coastal slope the 
widest? 

Draw a line about the basins of the Santa Ana and Santa Clara 
Rivers and tell which is the largest. 

What is the reason for the largest rivers being on the coastal slope? 

Why was this region once believed to be of little value for farming? 

In what way have the mountains made it possible for Southern Cali- 
fornia to support a great population? 

How does the mountain climate differ from that of the coast? How 
does it differ from that of the interior valleys? Which do you 
prefer? 

Tell the important products of each of the three regions just men- 
tioned. 

Why was Southern California little affected by the early mining 
excitement? 

Why did so few of the emigrants come by the southern routes? 

Point out the leading mountain passes and tell what roads go 
through each. 

What are the advantages of irrigation? Are there any parts of the 
South where it is not needed? How does the careful cultiva- 
tion of the soil affect the need of irrigation? 

Mention any farm products that can be grown in the valleys with- 
out irrigation. 

What sort of a place is selected for a reservoir? 

What becomes of the rain and snow that fall upon the mountains? 

Describe some of the different ways of watering the orchards and 
vineyards. 

Mention some of the things which do best upon the river bottoms. 
Where are the best oranges raised? 

AVhat is the result of cutting the forests from the mountains? 

If you owned a ranch in the San Bernardino Valley, would you ob- 
ject to the lumbering of the mountains above? 

If your home is in Southern California, describe the effects of any 
earthquakes that you have felt. 

Why are many fruits later in ripening than in Northern California? 

Find out what is meant by "dry farming." 

Why do so few people live in the San Gabriel Mountains? 

Describe the climate needed by each of the following: sugar beets, 
beans, oranges, lemons, raisin grapes, apples and cherries. 

What are the advantages in the situation of Los Angeles? 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of San Diego? 

How chd Los Angeles obtain a good harbor? 

Describe the occupations in different parts of the region between 
Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. 

Point out upon a map the lines of travel between Southern and Cen- 
tral California. 



CALIFORNIA 207 

How does the supply of water in different places affect the kind 

of farming carried on? 
In what part are the best oranges grown? 
Why is it so dangerous to get lost in the Colorado Desert? 
Where did the salt come from that was in the Salton Sink before 

the great lake was formed? 
Mention some of the chief productions of Imperial Valley, with 

reasons. 
What is the most important crop of the Coachella Valley? 
Why is there no railroad yet finished between Imperial Valley and 

San Diego? 
Why was it at first thought there was little fertile land about 

San Diego? 
What are the particular attractions of San Diego? 
How do we know that the level of the land along the coast has 

changed ? 

Why was San Diego Mission placed in Mission Valley, some miles 
from the coast, rather than on the bay? 

What advantage will it be to San Diego to have a railroad built 
east across the mountains to Yuma? 

Describe the attractions of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island. 

Why is it necessary to establish fish preserves, since the ocean is 
so large? 

How do we know the islands were once a part of the mainland? 

If the land should sink 1200 feet to a point where it was once, 
what would the effect on the islands be? What would become 
of fruit growing in Southern California? 

Why has fruit growing developed more than manufacturing in 
Southern California? 

How has the discovery of large quantities of petroleum affected 
manufacturing? 

Tell anything that you know about the tar springs near Los An- 
geles and how they trapped the animals and birds long ago. 

Alention the chief attractions which have called people to South- 
ern California. 

PRACTICAL LESSONS. 

Many a country which has been left by Nature apparently dry and 
barren has been transformed by men into a luxuriant garden. 

Valleys lying on the side of mountains from which moist winds 
blow are better watered than they would be if there were no 
mountains, while those on the opposite side are drier. 

Mountains protect a country from invasion by an enemy, but at 
the same time they stand in the way of people of that country 
shipping their products to market. 

Mountains and deserts once offered serious obstacles to the settle- 
ment of a country, but now we are able to carry water into the 
deserts and to tunnel throuerh mountains. 



208 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

No country can become rich and prosperous without a market for 

its products. 
Not all mountains contain minerals, but there are few found in 

those countries where there are no mountains. 
Men can lead water into a dry country and can drain one that 

is marshy, but they cannot change the winds or the rainfall 

or the temperature. 
It is very necessary to take good care of the mountain slopes in 

countries where the rainfall is light, and not permit fires, or 

cattle, or lumbermen to injure them. 
A mountainous country has a much greater variety of productions 

than a level one. 
Each kind of plant, vegetable or fruit, requires the sort of climate 

to which it has become accustomed. We cannot be successful 
■ in raising dates in any but the hottest valleys of the desert, 

for their climate is like that of the home of the date in North 

Africa. 
A coastal region over which the winds blow from the ocean has 

a much more mild and even climate than it would have if the 

winds blew from the land. 
The situations of great cities are determined by Nature and not 

by men. 
The occupation of people is determined by the climate, the soil, the 

steepness of the slopes, and the markets. 




The Desert Transformed — Imperial Valley 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Great Basin: That Land from Which No Water Ever Flows 

to the Ocean — Whose Vast Deserts the Pioneers Had to 

Cross Before They Could Reach the Land of Gold. 

What sort of country did Fremont discover in the interior of 
our continent? 

General Fremont, while carrying on his explorations in that 
vast unknown land west of the Rocky ^Mountains, discovered a 
strange region. 

This region lay between the Wasatch Range of Utah and the 
Sierra Nevadas of California. It has on the south the Colorado 
River with its deep caiion and on the north the Snake River, also 
flowing in a deep caiion. 

Fremont found this region to be different from any which had 
ever before been known on our continent; it was extremely dry 
and inhabited by curious animals and plants. The strangest thing 
about this region was that it appeared to be entirely surrounded 
by a rim of higher land, so that none of the rainwater that fell upon 
its surface could flow away to the ocean. Because of this he named 
it the Great Basin. 

We must understand, however, that the Great Basin is not one 
large desert waste, but consists of many small ones with mountain 
ranges between them. In some of these basins there are lakes with 
water so salty and alkaline that nothing can live in it, while in others 
there are dry clay beds where lakes have once been. 

Why was this region so difficult to cross in the early days.? 

Water to drink and forage for animals are difficult to find upon 
the desert. In summer the rays of the sun beat down fiercely upon 
the almost barren ground, while in winter cold winds sweep over 
the surface. 

The springs are often so far apart and hidden in such, out-of- 
the-way places that sufficient water has to be carried to last sev- 
eral days. Sometimes the desert traveler thinks he sees the water 
of a lake overhung with trees and leaves the trail to slake his thirst 
and fill his canteen, but this is only the desert "mirage" and it lures 
him on to his death. 

For the pioneers there was, then, in addition to the danger of 
attack from Indians, the farther danger of death from thirst. Many 
of the thousands of ox-wagons that entered the desert never suc- 
ceeded in crossing it, and abandoned wagons and the bones of oxen 
and horses were strewn along the route. 

How came this region to be a basin? 

Our geographies speak of river basins, but they are not true 
basins. They are open at one side and thus permit the rains which 
fall upon the other sides to unite in one main stream or river and 



210 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



flow away. 

The region which Fremont called the Great Basin is a true 
basin, for it has a rim all around it, like a plate or saucer. Each 
of the many small desert basins or valleys has a rim of its own, 
but outside of all is the great rim. 

This strange land exists here because at no time since its val- 
leys and mountains were formed has there been rain enough to form 
river systems such as we find in other parts of our country. 

If it should rain there as much as it does at San Francisco, very 
soon every desert basin would be full of water. The higher basins 
would overflow into the lower, and when the water had reached the 
lowest ones and filled them, it would run over the lowest points 
in the outer rim of the Great Basin and flow away to join either the 
Colorado or Snake Rivers. 

There would thus be formed many lakes throughout the Great 
Basin. After a time, as the streams which ran out of them wore 
away their channels and made them deeper, the lakes would be 
drained. You can see how this would be from the behavior of the 
little pond when it has overflowed the dam that you made to hold it. 

At one time long ago, when there was more rain than there is 
now, some of the lakes in this desert region did overflow. Great 
Salt Lake was then an immense lake, much larger than it is now, 
and it overflowed its basin and emptied into the Snake River in 
Idaho. 

Owens Lake overflowed, and a large river ran south along the 
base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and emptied into a lower basin 
in the Mohave Desert. Here a lake was formed which has now 
dried up. Its bed is known as Searls Borax Marsh and is filled 
with valuable deposits of soda, borax and potash. 

What has made a desert of the Great Basin? 

We have already learned something of how the cool summits 
of the lofty mountains aid in changing the moisture of the clouds 




A volcanic crater in the Mohave Desert. 



CALIFORNIA 



211 



into rain or snow. We have learned also that the storms usually 
come from a westerly direction and that the Coast Ranges and the 
still loftier Sierra Nevadas lie across their paths and take away most 
of the moisture of the clouds before they let them go. 

The three things which we have mentioned all work together 
to make a desert of the Great Basin. So little moisture remains in 
the air after it has passed the Sierra Nevadas that the .Inyo- White 
Mountain Range, which is in places almost as high as the Sierras, 
receives but little rain and snow. East of these mountains in Ne- 
vada it is drier still. 

These things lead us to suspect what is really the case, and 
that is, that the lowest valleys of the Great Basin which lie behind 
these mountains, the highest in our country, form the hottest, driest 
and most dangerous of deserts. Thus Death Valley, below the level 
of the ocean, is the most dreaded of all. 

How is it that there are lakes in this desert region? 

Where there are lakes there must be streams to supply them 
with water, and the streams must take their rise where it rains or 
snows. How, then, can we account for lakes in the desert? 

A study of the map will show that all the lakes of the Great 
Basin lie near its borders, and that the streams which feed them 
rise in the high mountains on the rim of the basin. Thus Great Salt 
Lake on the eastern border of the basin receives its water from the 
Wasatch Range. 

Honey, Mono and Owens Lakes lie close to the western rim 




The white salt and soda flats of Death Valliey. 



212 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

and within the boundaries of California. They receive their water 
from the melting snows of the Sierra Nevadas. Walker and Pyra- 
mid Lakes in Western Nevada also receive their supply from the 
Sierras, but the streams which feed them have to flow farther be- 
fore they find a basin in which to stop. 

Beautiful Lake Tahoe, although high in the Sierra Nevada 
Mountains,, is really in the Great Basin. The water which flows 
from it forms the Truckee River, which, after irrigating thousands 
of acres of desert land, finally reaches Pyramid Lake. 

Why are the lakes of the Great Basin so salty and alkaline? 

If you will visit one of these lakes and taste the water, you 
will find it very nauseating. It is a disagreeable mixture of salt, 
soda and other mineral substances. The water leaves a white, crusty 
deposit around the shores when it evaporates, and is so dense that 
one cannot sink in it. 

These lakes, like the ocean, have no outlet. Year after year the 
streams dissolve tiny particles of mineral substances from the rocks 
and carry them to the lakes. Mineral springs also aid in this work. 
No water ever flows away and that which evaporates into the air 
cannot take the mineral substances with it. In this way the waters 
of these lakes gradually become filled with salts of various kinds. 

How are plants and animals able to live in this dry region? 

We must not think that our deserts are entirely without rain 
and that they are covered with bare rocks and sand like the Sahara 
in North Africa. 

Some rain falls in the deserts of California and they are alive 
with many sorts of plants and animals which, through many thou- 
sands of years, have become accustomed to doing with little water. 

Many plants, such as the diiiferent kinds of cactus, are armed 
with thorns. Others have very small leaves and are covered with 
a resinous bark to keep them from losing the little moisture which 
they are able to get from the earth. 

Strange and interesting animals live in the desert. There is 
the tortoise, which can go many months, and perhaps years, with- 
out finding water, because of sacks in its body for holding a supply. 
There is the horned toad with his spiny covering, the great lizard 
called the Chuckawalla which the Indians eat, and many slender 
lizards of bright color that race like a flash over the sand, and last, 
the "side-winder," one of the most dangerous of rattlesnakes. 

It sometimes happens that there are spring rains in the desert. 
Its slopes are then quickly covered, as if by magic, with a carpet 
of many kinds of beautiful flowers. These flowers mature their 
seeds quickly and die. Soon all signs of their presence are swept 
away by the winds and drifting sands. 

The vegetation is not the same all over the desert. 

There are belts of vegetation upon the desert just as upon the 



CALIFORNIA 



213 



mountains, for it rains more in some places than in others, and is 
hotter in some than in others. 

Along the dry water courses in the Colorado and Mohave Des- 
erts, we find the mesquite, a small, thornj^ tree bearing pods Avith 
edible beans. 

The most widespread plant upon the open desert is the Mexican 
creosote bush, which has a resinous sap. 

The Washington palm, seen so often in our gardens, grows in 
the canons along the western border of the Colorado Desert. Beau- 
tiful cactuses of various kinds abound and, in the region mentioncfl, 
form most wondrous natural gardens. 

Upon the Mohave Desert are vast groves of the giant yucca, 
among which grow^ cactuses, creosote bush and other plants. 

Higher up the slopes, where there is a little more rain, ^^■c 
come upon the desert juniper. Above this, on the higher mountains, 
we see the pinon pine. 

Along the eastern base of the Sierra Nevadas and extending far 
northward, the sagebrush is the chief desert plant and often grows" 
to a great size. 

How much of California lies within the Great Basni? 

If we begin in Northeastern California and draw a line along 
the summits of the mountains dividing the sources of the rivers 
which flow westerly into the ocean from those which flow easterly 
and sink in the Great Basin, w^e shall find by the time we have 
reached the southern part of the state that we have cut off about 
one-third of its area. It will be noticed that the line is very irreg- 
ular and that between Central and Southern California it extends 
west almost to the ocean. 

However, not all of the land included in the Great Basin is 
desert, for along the base of the rim of mountains which we have 
traced there are large areas of land where there is a moderate rain- 
fall and water for irrisfation. 




Sand dunes of the Colorado Desert. 



214 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



What calls people to the desert and how are they able to 
live there? 

The search for gold takes people to the desert. The prospector 
with his burros, his food and water kegs goes all through the bar- 
ren land. Nearly all the mountains contain veins of gold and sil- 
ver and lead, and in some places zinc. Because of the lack of water 
many of these veins cannot be worked. If the mines appear to be 
very valuable, water is sometimes piped to them from distant springs. 

The Virginia City mines, in the edge of Nevada, and the Bodie 
mines in California, are the most noted ones in the western part 
of the Great Basin. At Virginia City there are springs of hot and 
almost boiling water, which makes the workings of the mines dif- 
ficult at great depths. 

In some of the large basins of the Mohave Desert which were 
once filled with lakes there are valuable deposits of soda, borax, 
salt and gypsum. Rock salt as clear as glass is obtained from the 
Danby Salt Marsh. At this place there is a curious cabin built of 
blocks of salt. 

The Searls Borax Marsh, which is the bed of an ancient lake, 
contains the most valuable deposits of borax known in the world. 
For years the borax was hauled across the desert to the town ol 
Mohave in a wagon train drawn by twenty mules. 

Soda has been obtained from the water of Owens Lake by run- 
ning it into ponds and allowing it to evaporate. The soda settles 




Yucca and creosote bushes in the Mohave Desert. 



CALIFORNIA 



215 



to the bottom and is shoveled out before the water has evaporated 
enough to make the salt separate. 

In Death Valley there are also beds of salt and soda, but it 
is difficult to work them during the heat of summer. In the mid- 
dle of the day in summer it is hardly safe to attempt to cross the 
glistening marshes, so great is the heat. 

How is it that stock raising can be an important industry in 
the desert? 

Upon the mountains of the central and northern parts of the 
Great Basin there is rainfall enough to grow the nutritious bunch 
grass, but not enough for farming. In those parts the raising of 
horses, cattle and sheep is an important industry. Many thousands 
of sheep are pastured in places where there is not water or forage 
for cattle. 

- Stock raising is also important in Surprise, Honey, Owens, 
Mono and Antelope Valleys, w^here there is water for irrigation, for 
there alfalfa furnishes a cheap forage. 

To what extent can farming be carried on in the desert.^ 

The soil of much of the desert is fertile, but only those parts 
can be cultivated where water is to be had for irrigation. 

Imperial Valley has an abundance of water brought from the 
Colorado River. Coachella Valley, lying to the northwest, obtains 
its water from artesian wells. 

That part of the Mohave Desert lying against the north slope 
of the Sierra Madre Mountains is called Antelope Valley. In this 
valley are raised grain, almonds, alfalfa, apples. The water for 
irrigation is obtained partly from the mountains and partly from 
artesian wells. 

Many fertile valleys are found along the eastern base of the 
Sierra Nevada Mountains. They are supplied with water from the 




Grazing sheep in the desert. 



216 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



melting snows upon the mountains. Owens Valley is the largest 
of these. It is devoted largely to the raising of cattle and alfalfa, 
but is becoming noted also for its fruits, especially apples. 

About Mono Lake are cattle ranches with their irrigated mead- 
ows. Hardy vegetables can be grown there, but as the region is 
over 6000 feet it is too frosty for fruit. 

Carson and Walker Valleys, still farther north, are chiefly given 
over to cattle raising, although apples can be grown in them. 

The Truckee River is the largest river flowing into the Great 
Basin. It rises in Lake Tahoe in California, but its waters are used 
chiefly in Nevada, where they irrigate many thousands of acres. 

Honey Lake Valley, close under the northern Sierra Nevadas, 
is noted for its apples, hay and cattle. 

In far Northeastern California, at the eastern base of the War- 
ner Range, lies Surprise Valley, a rich and highly cultivated region 
with an abundance of water for irrigation. Fruit and all kinds of 
farm produce are raised there. 

What has determined the route of the roads and trails through 
the desert? 

If you had to cross the desert either with a team, on horseback 
or on foot, would not 3^our first question be as to where the springs 
and water holes are? 

As the springs are so far apart, you would have to direct your 
course so as to reach water as frequently as possible. This might 
make a very crooked road or trail, but every one would have to 




The rugged surface of a recently cooled stream of lava in Northern California. 



CALIFORNIA 217 

follow it if he valued his life. We can say, then, that the position 
of the springs is the first and most important thing determining the 
routes of travel on the desert. 

The wonderful extinct volcanoes of Eastern California. 

We have learned that along the eastern base of the Sierra Ne- 
vada Mountains there is a line of fissures in the earth where the 
broken rocks when they slip give rise to earthquakes. 

Through these cracks which extend far down into the interior 
of the earth came molten rock once upon a time. This spread far 
over the surface forming lava fields when it flowed out quietly. 

When the lava w^as hurled out violently like the shot out of a 
gun craters were formed, some of which grew to be mountains. 

If we make an exception of Cinder Cone, near Mt. Lassen, there 
are no other craters in California so fresh and perfect as those south 
of Mono Lake known as the Mono Craters. 

Fierce eruptions from a number of craters spread fine ashes over 
miles of country. After the ashes came streams of molten lava 
which piled almost mountain high. Some of the lava cooled so 
quickly that it formed glass. This volcanic glass or obsidian was 
used by the Indians for arrow and spear points. In one of the craters 
we can see their ancient quarries. 

The islands in Mono Lake are worthy of a visit. They have 
been almost shaken to pieces by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. 
Here there are hot springs, steaming rocks and some very interest- 
ing craters. 

SUMMARY. 

That part of our continent lying between the Wasatch Moun- 
tains and the Sierra Nevadas is occupied by a vast desert which, 
because it has a rim of higher land all about it is called the Great 
Basin. 

The Great Basin is of much interest to us because about one- 
third of the area of California is included within it although the 
number of people living there is small. It is also interesting be- 
cause there occurs there the driest, hottest and lowest land in the 
United States. 

The driest part of the Great Basin is not without some rain 
and so we find many animals and plants scattered through it. Some 
of these have taken on strange and curious forms in their struggle 
to live with little water. 

Mining is an important industry, and wherever there is sufficient 
rain to grow grasses there are cattle, horses and sheep. 

The high mountains upon the eastern and western borders of 
the Great Basin supply water for irrigating thousands of acres of 
land, and in some of the valleys which nestle under them there are 
rich and prosperous settlements. 



218 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



REVIEW EXERCISES. 

Trace on the map the boundaries of the Great Basin. 

Point out the routes of the emigrants across the desert. 

How does the Great Basin differ from a river basin? 

What would happen if the climate should change and become 
wet? 

Why is there so little rain in this region? 

Why are the desert valleys so hot in summer? 

What kind of an outfit would you buy for a journey across the 
desert? 

How is it that salt, soda and borax are found in the desert and 
not in the wetter parts of California? For what are these sub- 
stances used? 

Why are the desert lakes salty and those in other parts of Cali- 
fornia fresh? 

Describe any desert plants that you have seen. 

What advantage have the animals of the desert over the plants? 

The cabin of rock salt in the Danby Salt Marsh has stood many 
years. What sort of a climate does this indicate? 

Point out parts of the desert where farming is carried on and 
give reasons. 

Why is life in the desert most of the year very pleasant? 

Find out what you can about the cloudbursts that occur in the 
desert. Why are they so dangerous to railroads? 





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^Mx 






V^v^J^H^^BHi ' ~ 


^^^^^^^ 



The giant sage brush of Honey Lake Valley shows the desert soil is rich. 



CALIFORNIA 



219 



What can we learn from the earthquakes in Owens Valley 
about the making of the Sierra Nevadas? 

Find out all that you can about Mono Lake and the Mono 
Craters. 

Point out parts where it is too dry for farming and give your 
reasons. 

PRACTICAL LESSONS. 

A region shut ofif from the ocean by lofty mountains is likely 
to be desert and also to be very hot in the summer. 

All lakes without outlets are alkaline and salty, and those with 
outlets are fresh. 

In no part of the earth has the climate always remained the 
same. Animals and plants become adapted throtigh many genera- 
tions to slow changes of climate. If the changes in climate came 
quickly they would be killed. 

The Indians could not live where Nature had neglected to leave 
any water. Civilized men can take water into the heart of the worst 
of deserts and turn it into fruitful gardens. 

Deserts add to the difficulty of traveling and seem at first 
thought to be just so much waste land, but they supply many min- 
erals which are not found elsewhere. 




A glimpse of Westlake Park, Los Angeles. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Klamath Mountains: Whose Steep Slopes and Narrow Can- 
ons for Many Years Interfered With Travel 
Between California and Oregon. 

Where are the Klamath Mountains and what are their boun- 
daries? 

The extreme northern part of California is occupied by two of 
the seven districts or provinces into which we have divided the 
state. Although these two districts He side by side the character 
of their slopes and the main occupations of their inhabitants are 
quite unlike. 

The district including the northwest corner we shall study first. 
It is called the Klamath Mountains. It has few large valleys, its 
slopes are generally steep and the people are largely engaged in 
mining. 

The other district forming the northeast corner we call the 
Volcanic Plateau. It is formed of broad upland valleys with scat- 
tered mountains and its inhabitants are mostly engaged in farming 
and stock raising. 

The Klamath Mountains lie north of the Coast Ranges. The 
Volcanic Plateau lies north of the Sierra Nevadas. The two together 
close in the northern end of the Sacramento Valley. They meet in 
an irregular line extending in a northerly direction, from a point a 
little east of Redding, west of Mount Shasta and through Shasta 
Valley. 

What is the character of the Klamath Mountains? 

The Klamath Mountains are higher and more rugged than the 
Coast Ranges and have many deep cafions. They are formed of 
rocks which hold veins of gold and copper like those of the Sierra 
Xevadas. 

If we could look down upon this region as a bird does we should 
see that it is formed of a group of many different ranges, each 
range bearing a different name. Beginning at the south we have the 
Hay Fork, Trinity, Salmon, Scott and Siskiyou mountains. 

The Salmon Range is the highest and most rugged, several peaks 
rising over 9000 feet. The heavy snows which fall there, the small 
glaciers, glacial lakes, alpine forests and picturesque crags all remind 
one of the High Sierras. 

How is this region watvjred? 

The Klamath River, one of the largest streams of California, 
flows through the heart of the Klamath Mountains. It rises far 
away east of the Cascade Range in Oregon. Its waters have been 
put to less use than any other of our California rivers for the most 
of its course is in a cation through a rough and thinly settled country. 



222 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



There is no harbor at the mouth of the river and the opening which 
it has made through the mountains is not in such a direction that 
it is convenient to use it as a highway of travel. 

The Sacramento is, on the countrary, a very useful river. It 
rises in great springs near the base of Mt. Shasta upon the edge 
of the Volcanic Plateau and flows in a deep cafion through the east- 
ern part of the Klamath Mountains. 

This cafion offers a direct route through the mountains to Ore- 
gon and is used by the Southern Pacific Railroad. It is, however, 
so rough and difficult to traverse with wagons that the first road was 
built by another route over the Trinity and Scott Mountains. The 
roughness of the Sacramento River canon is due in part to a flow of 
lava which came from Mt. Shasta and followed the canon nearly to 
Redding. 

The Trinity is the largest river which rises in the Klamath 
Mountains. There are some valley lands along its course but the 
chief use to which its waters have been put is hydraulic and placer 
mining. 

Why were there no trails opened across these mountains in 
pioneer days? 

Between the Willamette Valley of Oregon and the Sacramento 
Valley of California there lies a rough and wild country. The Klam- 
ath Mountain region which we are now studying forms only a part 
of this rough country. In addition to the difficulties of travel which 
were great there was the danger of attack from the Klamath and 
other Indians who were very numerous. 




The beautiful and fertile Scott Valley in the Klamath Mountains. 



CALIFORNIA 



223 



Because of the obstacles mentioned the Gold Seekers who came 
through Oregon took a round-about way farther east across the 
Volcanic Plateau. Although the surface of the country on this route 
was very rough in places, there were few cafions or steep mountain 
slopes and the Indians were less feared. 

What led to the early settlement of the Klamath Momitains? 

It was the search for gold that first led people into this remote 
and rugged region. The miners traced the golden sands northward 
along the foothills of the Sierras. When they reached the upper 
end of the Sacramento Valley a new land of riches opened to them, 
for all the streams coming from the Klamath Mountains were found 
to be rich in gold. 

No mountains were too steep nor canons too rocky when gold 
lay ahead and soon thousands of people spread all through this 
region and towns sprang up at the rich bars. A wagon road was 
built over the Trinity Mountains from the Sacramento Valley to 
Weaverville, then up the Trinity River and finally across the Scott 
Mountains. The road ended at Yreka, a rich camp. Most of the 
camps were, however, reached only by long steep trails over which 
everything had to be packed on horse or mule back. 

When the gravels in the beds of the present streams ceased to 
pay the miners began to work the gravels of the ancient streams, 
portions of which remained in the form of benches along the sides 
of the cations. 

These gravels were many feet thick and to get at the gold in 
the bottom they used the same means as in the foothills of the 
Sierra Nevadas. Water was brought in ditches around the hillsides 




A beautiful glacial lake in the Klamath Mountains. 



224 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

until it was above the ground which was to be worked. From there 
it was carried down in pipes and directed against the gravel bank 
by means of a "giant." Thus hydraulic mining was begun and it 
continued to be an important industry for many years. In places 
this form of mining is still carried on. 

Veins of gold-bearing quartz were discovered when the placer 
mines began to fail but it required comparatively few men to work 
them and the most of the population drifted away. 

In what parts of the Klamath Mountains is mining now car- 
ried on? 

As we travel along the Sacramento River above Redding or 
through the cafions of the Klamath, Trinity and Salmon Rivers we 
see great piles of boulders and gravel which have been worked over 
by the miners, and occasionally the ruins of once flourishing camps. 

Huge gravel banks remain where there was too little gold, and 
in a few places we find the miners still at work with a "giant" 
through which a six-inch stream of water is being thrown with 
terrific force against a high bank of gravel. 

The gold quartz mines are mostly upon the mountain slopes 
above the old placer mines. They are scattered all through the 
Siskiyou, Scott and Trinity Mountains. 

Great deposits of copper ore have been worked near Kennet on 
the Sacramento River, and at Copper City on Squaw Creek, and 
smelters have been built to extract the metallic copper from the ore. 
The water which flows from these mines contains so much copper 
in solution that if pieces of iron are placed in it they soon become 
coated with deposits of bright metallic copper. 

Valuable deposits of iron ore exist near Pitt River northeast 
of Redding. 

Is there much farming in the Klamath Mountain region? 

Although most of the Klamath Mountain region is not suited 
to cultivation there are a number of valleys of considerable extent. 

Shasta Valley lies on the boundary between the Klamath Moun- 
tains and the Volcanic Plateau. This is a rich farming district. 
Dairying and the raising of cattle and hay are the chief industries. 
The climate is especially suited to the growing of apples for which 
the valley has long been noted. Because of the high mountains 
between it and the ocean the climate of the valley is rather dry 
and irrigation is practiced wherever water is to be had. 

Yreka is the largest town in this part of California. It v,as 
once noted as a mining camp but is now chiefly supported by farming 
and stock raising. 

Scott Valley lies to the west of Shasta Valley wholly within 
the Klamath Mountains, and hence has a moister climate. It is an 
attractive and fertile region where dairying, raising of hay, grain 
and cattle are carried on. Like Shasta Valley it produces the best 
of apples. 



CALIFORNIA 



225 



The Valley of the Trinity River of which Weaverville is the 
chief place was once filled with miners, but general farming and 
stock raising are now the chief industries. Although the climate is 
suited to the growing of many kinds of fruit the distance to market 
is so great that only enough for home use is produced. 

Hay Fork Valley lies in the extreme southern portion of the 
Klamath Mountains and is devoted chiefly to stock raising. 

About Crescent City, the most northern town upon the coast of 
California, there are rich lowlands partly cleared and devoted to 
dairying. The only outlet for produce is by steamer for, although 
one road leads south to Eureka and another north to Oregon, the 
distance to market is so great as to make them of no value com- 
mercially. 

Why does the interior of the Klamath Mountains contain so 
few people? 

Aside from the farming and mining districts which we have 
mentioned the Klamath Mountains are almost uninhabited by white 
people. There still remain a few Indians. No roads lead into the 
heart of this rough region and the miners scattered along the rivers 
pack their supplies over rough mountain trails. 




Hydraulic mining on the Klamath River. 



226 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

The mountain slopes which are level enough for farming have 
a cold winter climate and are generally covered with forests. There 
is no sale for timber or for farm produce. Consequently stock rais- 
ing is, next to mining, the most important industry. 

The Klamath Mountain region contains a number of attractive 
valleys which can support many more people than now occupy them. 
Since the early mining days it has remained in the present backward, 
and undeveloped condition because of the lack of roads and railroads 
and the great distance to market. 

What is the nature of the forests of the Klamath Mountains ? 

The forests contain trees found in both the Coast Ranges and 
the Sierra Nevadas. The most important tree of the lowlands near 
the ocean is the redwood. As we go up the mountains we find the 
spruce and yellow pine and scattered among them oaks of different 
kinds. 

Upon some of the dry warm cafion sides are digger pines which 
belong far to the south, and, perhaps most interesting of all, there is 
the Spanish bayonet whose natural home is upon the borders of the 
deserts of Southern California. 

Higher on the mountains there is the white fir, sugar pine, cedar 
and white pine, the latter near the timber line. Upon the northern 
slopes of the higher ridges there are forests of alpine hemlock, and 
in some places patches of huckleberries. 

Why is the lumber industry of little importance at present? 

The forests of the Klamath Mountains possess great value, but 
because transportation is so poor they have been cut chiefly upon the 
eastern and western borders. 

Crescent City is the most important shipping point for lumber, 
redwood being the chief product. Along the upper Sacramento River 
are mills which have cut the timber from adjacent slopes. 

The larger part of the forested mountains is now included in 
the National Forests. The timber will not be cut until it is really 
needed and then without the waste which most lumber companies 
permit. 

The Sacramento River Cafion attracts many summer visitors. 

The Sacramento River cailon is important in many ways. In 
the first place it opens a way through the mountains from the Sacra- 
mento to Shasta valleys enabling us to reach a part of the state 
which would otherwise be difficult to get at. 

In the second place it offers many attractions as a summer camp 
ground. The upper part of the Sacramento River caiion is remark- 
able for the many mineral springs of both sulphur and soda water. 
The most noted are Shasta Springs at which all passenger trains stop 
permitting the travelers to drink the pleasant sparkling water. 

The springs, together with the agreeable summer climate, the 
magnificent scenery of Castle Crags and Mt. Shasta attract thou- 



CALIFORNIA 237 

sands of visitors every summer to the canon and to Strawberry Val- 
ley at its head. 

In what way does the McCloud River differ from ordinary 
rivers ? 

The McCloud River has a small watershed but a large volume 
of water. It has no branches of any consequence and is almost as 
high in the late summer as it is in the spring. 

This strange behavior is due to the fact that it is fed mostly by 
springs, we might almost call them rivers, which come underground 
from Mt. Shasta. These springs are supplied by water from the 
melting snow and glaciers on the mountain and the water flows 
under the lava and breaks out in the side of the canon of the Mc- 
Cloud river. 

The water is clear and cold throughout the year and for that 
reason the Government has located an important fish hatchery 
upon it. 

SUMMARY. 

The northwest corner of California is occupied by a group of 
mountain ranges all taken together being known as the Klamath 
Mountains. They are loftier and more rugged than the Coast Ranges 
to the south, and have steeper slopes and deeper caiions than the 
Volcanic Plateau to the east. 

The discovery of gold first led to the settlement of this region, 
but with the working out of the placers most of the people moved 
away. 

There are a number of fertile valleys but the greater part of 
the region is unsuited to anything but lumbering and mining. 

The mining is now confined to gold quartz mining and hydraulic 
mining. The valuable forests have been lumbered only along the 
borders of the district. 

Owing to the general roughness of the region and the distance 
to market it remains thinly settled and in a backward condition. 

REVIEW EXERCISES. 

According to the relief map the Klamath Mountains appear to 
be a northward extension of the Coast Ranges. AVhy, then, do we 
call them by a different name? 

How do these mountains resemble the Sierra Nevadas? 

Why is the Klamath River of so little use to the inhabitants of 
the region? 

Point out the route of the first wagon road from the Sacramento 
Valley to Yreka. Why did it not go up the Sacramento River 
cafion? 

What kinds of mining are now carried on? Which is the most 
permanent kind of mining: placer, hydraulic or quartz mining? Give 
your reasons? 



228 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

Point out the chief valleys in which farming is carried on. Is 
fruit growing important? What disadvantages do the farmers labor 
under? 

What attractions are offered by the Sacramento River canon? 

Explain why the McCloud River has such an even flow through- 
out the year. 

Tell what you can about the lumber industry. What are the 
chief varieties of trees found in the Klamath Mountains? 

PRACTICAL LESSONS. 

River cafions to be useful as highways of travel through moun- 
tains must extend in the direction in which people wish to go, thus 
connecting one centre of business with another. (Compare in this 
connection the cafions of the Klamath and Sacramento Rivers.) 

The settlements and industries of a mining country are less per- 
manent than those of an agricultural country. 

A country may have many natural resources and yet be so far 
from market that they cannot be developed. 

The occupations which people carry on in any country are deter- 
mined by Nature. 

Any mountain region which is rich in attractions as summer 
camp grounds should be preserved in its wild state with the greatest 
care. 




The Klamath River in the Klamath Mountains — a stream which runs away 

to the ocean unused. 



CHAPTER X. 

The Volcanic Plateau: An Elevated Region of Broad, Plain-Like 
Valleys, Lava Fields and Extinct Volcanoes. 

Volcanoes have had much to do with the making of California. 

Volcanoes and lava eruptions occur, as we know, where there 
are cracks in the earth formed by the making of mountains or the 
sinking of land. 

California is a country of many mountain ranges, some of 
which are still growing as we can tell by the earthquakes, as well as 
a country of many volcanoes. 

If we should travel over California we would find extinct vol- 
canoes in nearly every part, but it is only in the northeastern corner 
that volcanoes and lava flows are so numerous as to change the 
whole appearance of the country. 

Long ago Northeastern California, instead of being a moun- 
tainous plateau as it is at present, was a lowland of marshes and 
lakes. 

If we had been there in those days we could have traveled from 
the Sacramento Valley northeastward into Oregon without meeting 
any mountains. There was then no Mt. Lassen or Mt. Shasta. 

The map shows us that now there is a continuous chain of moun- 
tains reaching from the Sierra Nevadas to the Klamath Mountains 
completely inclosing the Sacramento Valley. How did this great 
change come about? 

The building of the Volcanic Plateau. 

There came a time ever so long ago when fissures opened in 
the earth over a great extent of country now forming the north- 
western portion of the United States. This region extended into 
what is now northeastern California. From these fissures came lava 
which spread out in vast thin sheets and cooled with a rough, jagged 
surface. 

From certain places in these fissures the lava was hurled out 
with explosions. Some of it was in the form of fine ashes or pumice, 
some of it was in the form of cinders or scoria, while occasionally 
great masses many feet in diameter were thrown out. 

We call these places where the explosions occurred craters. 
The lava which was blown out and accumulated about them formed 
cinder cones, and after a time if the explosions continued long enough 
the cinder cones grew into mountains. 

The eruptions took place here and there for hundreds of thou- 
sands of years. There were times when the earth was as quiet as 
it is today in this region. During these quiet times forests sj^read 
over the country. Lakes filled the hollows of the lava and birds 
and animals, different from any living there today, occupied the 
country, as we can tell by the bones that are in some places dug out 
of the rocks. 



230 



NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 



At last so much lava accumulated that it formed the plateau 
which we are now studying. The lava is, in places, more than a 
half mile deep, and not only covers all northeastern California but 
much of Oregon, Idaho and Washington, It is one of the greatest 
fields of lava in all the world. 

What has led us to believe that the volcanoes of Northeastern 
California are not dead but only sleeping? 

There are many places upon the plateau where there are hot 
or boiling springs. Hot Spring Valley, a few miles east of Lassen 
Peak, is a most interesting region of this kind. Here there are 
many hot springs. At one point is a boiling steaming lake ; at an- 
other place there are curious mud volcanoes where jets of steam have 
brought up mud from the softened rocks. 

These things lead us to believe that not far below the surface 
the earth is very hot and perhaps molten. 

The recent eruptions of Mt. Lassen show that the volcanoes 
of this region are not all dead. 

In Pioneer Days Peter 
Lassen opened a trail from 
Oregon across the Volcanic 
Plateau and near a great 
volcanic mountain. His name 
was given to this peak which 
has an elevation of 10,577 
feet and marks the southern 
end of the Cascade Range, 

In the summer of 1914 

Mt. Lassen commenced a 

series of eruptions which 

lasted through a period of 

more than five years. Large 

quantites of volcanic ashes 

and scoria were thrown out 

and half molten lava was 

pushed up in the crater. 

The eruption formed 

a most interesting sight. 

Clouds of ashes rose many 

thousands of feet in the air 

presenting an appearance 

similar to that of Vesuvius, 

„ , . . r^ > . ^ the great Italian volcano, 

Mt. Lassen in eruption. Tne smoke cloud , . . , 

shows the features of a face, when it is in eruption. 




CALIFORNIA 



231 



Cinder Cone in eruption less than 100 years ago. 

If we should climb Mt. Lassen and look away toward the east 
across the forested mountains we would see at a distance of about 
20 miles a field of black rock with a cone-shaped mountain rising 
from it. This mountain is Cinder Cone and the black rock around 
it is lava. 

It is believed that the eruption of volcanic ashes and the build- 
ing of the cone-shaped hill occurred about 200 years ago, and that 
the flow of black lava, which covers about ten square miles, took 
place about 75 years ago. Thus the last eruption here was only a 
few years before the first white people crossed the mountains into 
California. 

The story of Cinder Cone is very interesting. There were first 
violent explosions. Great quantities of volcanic ashes were blown 
into the air and carried by the wind over the surrounding country. 
Near the crater the ashes fell four to six feet deep killing all the 
surrounding trees. Many partly burned trunks still He scattered 
about on the surface of the ashes. 

Many large masses of lava called volcanic bombs were blown 
out and lie scattered thickly about the base of the cone. Some of 
these bombs are almost round and weigh more than a ton. 

The slope of the cone is so steep and the cinders lie so loosely 
that it is difficult to climb it. From the summit one can look into a 
wonderfully symmetrical crater about 100 feet deep. 

The stream of molten lava which came last blocked up the 
valley and formed a body of water called Snag Lake. 




The Devil's Kitchen; steaming mud springs near the recent volcanic erup- 
tions of cinder cone, east of Lassen Peak. 



232 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

The surface of this lava flow is still rough and jagged for the 
rocks have not yet crumbled to form a soil for plants. 

For what are the Modoc lava beds noted? 

On the shore of Tule Lake near the Oregon line is another field 
of new lava. To this lava field Capt. Jack, a Modoc Indian, once 
retreated with his followers because it offered such secure hiding 
places. There he was able for a long time to resist United States 
soldiers. 

The lava has a rough and jagged surface across which horses 
cannot be taken. It is difficult even for men to climb over the 
billows and hollows of the lava, for it is full of crevices, caverns and 
tunnels. In some of the deepest hollows the snow remains all 
summer. 

Why was it easier to cross the plateau in the early days than 
to go through the Klamath Mountains ^ 

The Volcanic Plateaii is easy to travel over because of its broad, 
plain-like valleys. These valleys were once filled with lakes. They 
have an elevation of 3000 to 4500 feet and although they are separated 
by mountains there are no deep cafions to be crossed. 

The worst difficulties are caused by the fields of bare lava which 
the traveler has to go around if possible. The building of the plateau 
took a long time and it is only the newest streams of lava that are 
still rough and impassable. 

The lava as it slowly crumbles upon the surface becomes cov- 
ered first with hardy bushes. Then, after a time, the seeds of 
pines sprout and take root and a forest springs up. The trees were 
at first small and stunted because of the thin soil, but as the years 
passed it became deep and rich. As we wander through the forest 
now with no rocks sticking out above the surface we can hardly 
believe that it was once so rough. 

Mt. Shasta: The queen of the great volcanoes. 

Mt. Shasta is the most noted and majestic of all the mountain 
peaks of California. It stands alone, rising far above the surround- 
ing mountains, and is capped with a white helmet of snow through- 
out the year. 

From the summit of Shasta, 14,380 feet above the ocean, we 
obtain a view over all of Northern California. To the southeast 
there appears a line of forest covered mountains extending to Mt. 
Lassen. These were once active volcanoes. In the opposite direc- 
tion we can see, if the air is clear, the lofty peaks of the Cascade 
Range. These also were once active volcanoes. Looking toward the 
east we can make out scores of little volcanic mountains, or cinder 
cones as we usually call them. 

Mt. Shasta began in the same way as did the cinder cones that 
lie scattered over the plateau, but its story did not stop as did theirs. 
For many thousands of years eruption followed eruption. Some- 
times it was ashes and slag-like lava from the main crater; some- 



CALIFORNIA 



233 



times it was a lava stream which broke out of the side far below 
the summit. 

Finally the mountain became so high that the craters broke out 
upon the sides. In this way Shastina, the lower peak, was made. 
Mt. Shasta is now probably extinct although there is a hot spring 
upon its summit. 

Nature is at work tearing down the mountain. The rains and 
the water of the melting snows have washed great gullies in the 
loose materials. The glaciers, of which there are several, are also 
helping along the work of tearing down the mountain. 

The strange lakes of the Volcanic Plateau. 

As the lava flowed over the country during the building of the 
plateau it sometimes formed a dam across a valley, making a lake 
in the part lying above the dam. Fall River Valley and Big Valley 
were in this way once made to hold lakes. Tule Lake upon the 
Oregon boundary was also formed in a hollow in the lava. 

Near Flot Spring Valley, a few miles east of Mt. Lassen, is a 
most peculiar lake. The water plants which abound in this region 
have grown nearly over the lake and have formed a floating meadow. 
This meadow is solid enough to support people who go out upon it 
and fish through holes which they have cut in the sod. 

Goose Lake, one of the largest lakes in California, once formed 
the source of Pitt River. The climate of this region, like that of the 
Great Basin, is now drier than it used to be and the lake does not 
overflow its basin. 




Mt. Shasta and Shastina from Shasta Valley — glaciers lie in the hollows 

between the peaks. 



^4 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

The peculiar rivers of the Volcanic Plateau? 

Pitt River is one of the largest streams of California. It flows 
sluggishly through the valleys of the Plateau, but has cut a deep 
canon upon its western edge where it rushes down to join the Sac- 
ramento. 

One of the things which strikes the traveler upon the Plateau 
as very strange is the scarcity of springs and streams. Although 
the rainfall is heavy upon the higher parts, yet the lava is so full of 
pores and cracks that the water quickly disappears underground 
instead of gathering in streams on the surface. Upon some parts 
of the plateau there is as little surface water as is found in the 
desert. 

The water creeps down through the lava until it comes to cav- 
erns or layers of gravel between different flows of lava. It flows 
along these, gathering from various sides until it forms an under- 
ground river. By and by this river reaches the edge of the lava flow 
and then appears upon the surface as a great spring of pure cold 
water. 

Fall River is the largest and most remarkable river of this kind 
in California. It boils up through the rocks in several great springs, 
one of which supplies water enough to run a sawmill. This river 
winds through the meadows of Fall River Valley in a stream 100 
feet wide and finally empties into Pitt River. 

Hat Creek is formed by another of these underground streams. 
It bursts out of the rocks in great springs whose volume of water 
does not change through the year. 

How does the climate of the plateau region compare with that 
of other parts of California? 

Since the valleys of the Plateau are so high and are shut away 
from the ocean by mountains they are cold in winter and warm in 
summer. The sub-tropical fruits of the lower valleys cannot of 
course be grown here. In their place we find apples, peaches, pears, 
plums and cherries of a cooler climate. 

Thus we discover again the interesting fact that we do not 
have" to travel hundreds of miles toward the north to find a cooler 
climate. We have merely to ascend the mountains a few miles to 
the upland valleys where the climate, productions, and the occupa- 
tions of the people are entirely different from those of the lower 
valleys. 

The western part of the Plateau, including the slopes of the 
great volcanic peaks, receives a heavy rain and snowfall. It is, 
therefore, covered with a dense and valuable forest of sugar pine, 
yellow pine, spruce, fir and cedar. 

The farther east we go toward the Great Basin the drier the 
climate becomes. The valleys are treeless while the mountains sup- 
port a thin growth of pine and juniper. 



CALIFORNIA 235 

What are the occupations of the people of the plateau? 

Lumbering is the chief occupation of the heavily forested west- 
ern portion. The mills are situated in the forests and the lumber 
is floated down to the railroads in flumes. Matches form one of the 
important manufactured products of these forests. 

The raising of cattle, sheep and horses forms the leading occu- 
pations of the Plateau valleys. Hay and grain are also raised in 
large quantities. Fruits such as apples do well except in the highest 
valleys. 

The lack of cheap transportation seriously hinders the develop- 
ment of farming. This makes it more profitable to raise cattle for 
they can easily be driven to market. 

Why is it that there are no important mines in this region? 

Except for the gold at Hayden Hill the lava rocks of the Plateau 
region contain no valuable minerals. The gold-bearing rocks of the 
Sierra Nevadas probably extend under the lava at a great depth, but 
we shall never be able to reach them. 

Why is the plateau so thinly settled.-^ 

The Plateau region, although containing many fertile and pro- 
ductive valleys is thinly settled because it is remote from market 
and has always been difficult to reach. All supplies brought in or 
produce shipped out has to be freighted upon wagons over long and 
rough mountain roads. 

The eastern part of the Plateau is now reached by a railroad 
which is being built from Reno in Nevada north into Oregon. 

What is needed to develop the Volcanic Plateau? 

Many of the valleys of the Plateau are beautiful and attractive 
and possess an agreeable climate. It can, however, never be thickly 
settled until there is easier communication with the markets of the 
Sacramento Valley. 

As long as stock raising continues to be the most profitable 
industry the ranches must remain large and the population scat- 
tered. 

SUMMARY. 

Northeastern California is occupied by a volcanic plateau which 
is only a part of a greater plateau which extends over much of Ore- 
gon, Washington and Idaho. 

The western part is densely forested. The broad plain-like val- 
leys toward the cast are drier and have a cold winter climate. 

The two most striking features of the Plateau are Mts. Shasta 
and Lassen. The former presents the grandest scenpry of any single 
mountain in California. The latter is noted for its recent eruptions. 

The region about Cinder Cone is remarkable for its fresh lava 
field, mantle of volcanic ashes, and hot and boiling spring's. 



236 NEW PROGRESSIVE GEOGRAPHIES 

The Volcanic Plateau, because it is far from market, is thinly- 
settled, and devoted chiefly to the raising of such products as cattle 
that can be disposed of more profitably than other things. 

REVIEW EXERCISES. 

How do men harness steam and make it work? 

What has steam to do with the making of cinder cones and vol- 
canoes ? 

Describe the appearance of a piece of slag or lava. 

What uses are made of pumice and volcanic ashes? What makes 
sand soap clean so well? 

What do we mean by an active volcano? An extinct volcano? 

Describe the surface of a field of freshly cooled lava. 

Why is it difficult to travel over fresh lava with horses and 
wagons ? 

How does Nature finally smooth off the surface? 

Describe the country around Cinder Cone. (Study if possible 
the Mt. Lassen Folio, U. S. Geological Survey, Wash.) 

How do you account for the few streams and springs on the 
Volcanic Plateau? What becomes of the rainwater? 

How do Fall River and Hat Creek differ from ordinary streams? 

Why is the Plateau thinly settled? From what directions can 
it be most easily reached by railroad? 

What are the disadvantages of farming on the Plateau? What 
are the advantages of stock raising? 

Why are the winters cold? What part of the Plateau contains 
the forests and why? 

What leads us to believe that there may be more volcanic erup- 
tions in the Plateau region? 

PRACTICAL LESSONS. 

Volcanic regions are usually regions of earthquakes, but earth- 
quakes may occur where there are no volcanoes. The great earth- 
quake rift of the Coast Ranges has no volcanoes near it. 

Volcanic eruptions have probably not ceased in regions where 
there are hot and boiling springs. 

Volcanic mountains are usually more picturesque, for example, 
Mt. Shasta, than other mountains for they stand out by themselves. 
Mt. Whitney is higher than Mt. Shasta but is far from being as 
picturesque. 

Volcanic regions have usually few surface streams ; the water 
flowing underground. Many great springs abound in volcanic regions 
where underground rivers come to the surface. 

Regions covered with volcanic soil are very productive if there 
is sufficient rainfall. 

Regions left by Nature difficult of access settle up slowly until 
railroads are built to them. 

The occupations of a region are determined by many things, 
chief among which are climate and accessibility. 



Ind 



ex 



Alameda, 132 

Angel Island, 126 

Aqueduct, Los Angeles, 62, 175 

Berkeley, 132 

California, in 1848, 7, 17; name, 8; situa- 
tion, 9; described, 9, lO; plant and ani- 
mal life, 11; climate, 11, 28, 29, 109, 115, 
168 

Camino Real, 28, 176, 198 

Carquinez Strait, 80, 114 

Channel Islands, 112, 201 

Chico, 91 

Cinder Cone, 23 

Clear Lake, 104 

Climate, 28. 32 ; influence of latitude upon, 
34; influence of mountains upon, 36; 
winds, 43 

Coachella Valley, 204 

Coal, 48, 113 

Coalinga, 90 

Coast, nature of, 23; soundings along; is- 
lands, 25, 95, 112; tidal lagoons, 112, 197 

Coast Ranges, 95 ; direction of, 96 ; settle- 
ment of, 99; early towns, 110 

Colorado Desert, 203 

Colorado River, 26, 203 

Conservation, 49-54, 55, 174 

Crescent City, 225 

Death Valley, 31 ; expedition, 35, 215 

Deltas, 77, 86; soil of, 87, 117, 204 

Deserts, how accounted for, 30, 210; life. 
212, 213; minerals, 214 

Diablo, Mt., 125 

Donner Lake, 36 

Donner Party, 36 

Earthquakes, 64, 65 ; cause of mountains, 
177, 178 

Eureka, 101, 103 

Exploration, affected by streams, 59 

Farallone Islands, 119 

Farming, 53 ; influence of markets on, 60 ; 
influence of rain, 60, 61, 224 

Fishing, 119, 202 

Foothills, 146 

Forests, 42; distribution, 51: value, 51-52: 
effect of distribution, 53, 98, 148, 173, 226 

Fremont. Gener-il, 7; the Pathlinder, 21, 35, 
139, 209 

Fresno, 90 

Gavilan Range, 31 

Gold, discovery of, 7, 18; effect on settle- 
ment of California, 7-8; effect on other 
industries, 8, 165 

Grain Growing, 60 

Great Basin, 35, 209-210; farming in. 21(',; 
minerals, 214 

Great Salt Lake, 35, 210 

Great Valley, 10, 17; first settlers. 78; in- 
dustries, 79; climate, 80, 82; situation, 
80, 84; pioneer towns, 88; area, 91,152 

Honey Lake, 35, 211 

Hydraulic Mining, 142 

Imperial Valley, 204 

Indians, origin and life, 13 ; disappearance 
of, 14 



Industries, aft'ected by destruction of vegeta- 
tion, 45 
Inyo-White Mountain Range, 31 
Irrigation, influence on farming, 61, 82, 86; 

effect on Southern California, 162, 170 
Japan Current, 34 
Kings River, 78 
Klamath Mountams, 221, 227; ranges of, 221, 

232 
Klamath River, 26, 221 
Lassen Trail, 28 
Latitude, 34 
Life, Plant and yXnimal 11, 41, 42; value of, 

54, 55, 117, 212 
Livermore Valley, 124 
Long Beach, 188 
Los Angeles, 184, 188 
Los Angeles Valley, 182 
Lower California, 8, 15 
Lumbering, 141-145, 226 
Manufacturing, 133 
Marysville, 27, 89 • 

Marysville Buttes, 84 
McCloud River. 227 
Merced, 91 
Mines, routes to, 26 

Minerals, 46, 48. 87, 105, 119, 179, 214 
Mineral Springs, 105, 111, 227 
Mining, influence upon California, 46, 47, 88, 

141. 142; towns, 143, 144, 223, 224 
Missions, situation, 16, 110 
Modesto, 91 
Modoc Lava Beds, 232 
Mohave Desert, 26 
Mono Lake, 35, 211 
Monterey, 30, 111 
Mountain Passes, 57, 58: advantages of, 57, 

58, 176 
Mountains, influence uiion climate, 36, 38, 

172 
Mt. Hamilton Range, 125 
Mt. Lassen, 230 
Mt. Shasta, 232 
Muir Woods, 124 
Napa Valley, 123 
National Forests, 53, 154 
National Parks, 53, 154 
Natural Regions, 71 
Oakland, .'32 
Oranges, 34 
Overland Traih, Salt Lake and Carson, 22 ; 

Santa Fe, 22; Oregon, 23; Old Mormon, 

23 
Owens Lake. 35. 210 
Owens Valley. 31 

Padres, selection of town sites by. 16 
Pasadena, 189 
Peninsula Range, 195 
Petrified Forest, 105 
Petroleum, 48, 113, 179, 197, 201 
Pioneers, 7; routes used by, 21 
Placer Mining, 141, 179 
Products, 28 ; of Coast Ranges, 98 



Quartz Mining, 141 

Quicksilver, 105, 113 

Railroads, 58 

Rainfall, 31, 34, 44; of Coast Ranges, 98, 
108 

Red Bluff, 27, 90 

Redding, 90 

Redlands, 190 

Redwoods, 102 

Resources, Natural, care of, 48 

Richmond, 133 

Riverside, 190 

Rodeo, 17 

Routes to California, 21, 162 

Russian River Valley, 121 

Russian Settlement, 17, 103 

Sacramento. 26, 78, 89 

Sacramento River, 26, 11 ; tributaries of, 11, 
84, 222 ; cafions, 226 

Sacramento Valley, 11 

Salinas Valley, 30 

Salmon Range. 221 

Salt Lake and Carson Trail, 22 

Salton Sea, 205 

San Benito Valley, 120 

San Bernardino, 189 

San Bernardino Mountains, 178 

San Bernardino Valley, 10 

San Diego, 192, 195 

San Diego Bay, 197 

San Francisco, climate of, 115, 126; appear- 
ance in 1848 and 1854, 127, 131 

San Francisco Bay, 26, 64, 96, 114, 116, 117, 
118 

San Gabriel Range, 195 

San Gorgonio Mountain, 178 

San Joaquin River, 78 ; tributaries of, 78, 85 

San Joaquin Valley, 31, 11 

San Pedro, 186 

Santa Ana, 191 

Santa Barbara, 200 

Santa Clara River Valley, 198 

Santa Clara Valley, 120 

Santa Cruz Mountains, 125 

Santa Fe Trail, 22, 23, 28 

Santa Lucia Range. 110 



Santa Monica, 188 

Santa Rosa Valley, 121 

Scenery, 64 ; influenced by volcanoes, 66 ; 
earthquakes, 65; water and ice, 67, 111, 
153, 154 

Searls Borax- March, 214 

Settlement of California, 11; influence of 
rainfall upon vegetation, 44, 168 

Shasta Valley, 224 

Shell Mounds, 13, 114 

Sierra Nevada Mountains, 27 ; value of, 83, 
139 ; caiions of, 147 ; thunder storms of, 
148; lakes, 150-151 

Snake River, 35 

Soil, 44 ; effect of careless handling, 49, 50, 
86, 167. 181 

Sonoma Valley, 123 

Southern California, deserts of, 10, 159; sur- 
face, 159-161 ;_ rivers of, 164, 183; val- 
leys, 164; railroads, 169 

Southern Coast Ranges, 110 

Spanish Settlements, 14, 17; grants, 17; with 
reference to climate, 29 

Stock Raising, 165, 173 

Stockton, 27, 90 

Submerged Continental Plateau, 24 

Suisun Bay, 85 

Surface, 43, 44 

Sutter's Fort, 26, 89 

Taft, 90 

Tahoe, Lake, 151, 212 

Tamalpais, Mount, 124 

Travel, early difficulties of, 28 

Trinity River, 222 

Tulare, 91 

Tulare Lake, 78 

Ukiah, 103 

Vegetation, effect upon industries, 45 

Visalia, 91 

Volcanic Plateau, 229 ; making of, .229 ; lakes 
of, 223 ; rivers of, 234 ; climate, 234 

Volcanoes, 66, (,1 , 84, 105, 217, 229, 232 

Water, need of, 49 

Whitman, Marcus, 8 

Winds, 43 

Verba Buena, 127 

Yosemite Valley, 153 



Illustrations 

Page 

Among the Giant Redwoods Frontispiece , 

Breakers in Santa Monica Bay 9 

Placer Miners Panning Gravel for Gold 12 

A Digger Pine Tree 14 

A Klamath River Indian 15 

Old Fort Ross from the Sea 1{^ ' 

Work of the Waves at Pt. Buchon 22 - 

Morro Rock 23 

Sea Caves near Port Harford 25 - 

Freighting on the Sacramento River 27 ^ 

Rainfall Map of California 29 ^ 

Scene on the New State Highway in the Coast Ranges 30 ^ 

Glacier on the North Slope of Shastina 32 ^ 

Mt. Ritter in the High Sierras 34 

Glacial Lake on Head of South Fork Merced River „ Zl 

Camp Grounds in Oak Forest at Crystal Springs 40 

Party of Teachers on the Summit of Mt. Whitney 43 

Forest of White Fir on Slope of Mt, Shasta 45 - 

Kern River Oil Fields 47 

Erosion of Pasture Land in San Mateo Hills SO - 

Soil Erosion in Southern California 52-' 

Effect of Fire upon Forests of San Gabriel Mountains 54'^ 

Effects of Avalanches in the High Sierras 56 ' 

Gaviota Pass in Santa Barbara County 58 

Freighting on the Desert before the Railroads were built 59 

Branding Cattle on a Desert Range 62 

The Pinnacles, Monterey County 63 

Upper Yosemite Falls 65 

Effect of the Earthquake near Pt. Reyes 66 

Volcanic Bombs from Cinder Cone 67' 

The San Luis Obispo Buttes 69 

Eastern Front of the Sierra Nevada Mountains 71 

Bullfrog Lake at the Head of Kings River 72 

An Irrigation Canal 75 

Level Floor of the Sacramento Valley Td 

Stockton Water Front 79 ' 

Picking Cantaloups in the San Joaquin Valley 81 ^ 

Drying Apricots in the San Joaquin Valley 82 - 

Rice Field in the Sacramento Valley 83 ^ 

A Potato Field in the San Joaquin Delta Region 85 .. 

Scene on the Sacramento River at City of Sacramento 88 ^ 

Grounds of the State Capitol at Sacramento 89 , 

Fresno from an Aeroplane 91 

Rocky Shore of Carmelo Bay 94 

Rocky Coast of Northern California 97 ^ 

Sawmill and Log Boom on the Mendocino Coast 99^ 

Point Arena Lighthouse 100^ 

A Great Sawmill at Eureka 101 

Schooners Loading Lumber at Eureka 102 

Eel River at Low Water 104 

The Lower Salinas River 106 

Artichoke Fields of San Mateo County 107'- 

Bridge Across the Salinas River at King City 109 

Sand Dunes near San Francisco 112 

San Francisco Bay from the Berkeley Hills 115 

Looking in Through the Golden Gate 116 

The Suisun Marshes 117 

The Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco 118 

Point Reyes 120 



Page 

Hop Field in the Russian River Valley 121 

On the Beach at Santa Cruz 122 

Mt. Diablo from Walnut Creek 124 

San Francisco Water Front 126 

Looking Down Market Street, San Francisco 128 

Stow Lake, Golden Gate Park 129 

City Hall, Oakland 130 

The Civic Center, San Francisco 132-133 

Oakland Business Center from Lake Merritt 134 

Shipping on Oakland Water Front 135 

The Campanile on the University Grounds at Berkeley 137 

Tuolumne Table Mountain 140 

A Desert Valley in the Southern Sierra Nevada INIountains 142 

Sierra Valley 143 

Kings River Canon 145 

Arctic Flowers 146 

In the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees 147 

A Gnarled and Twisted Fox-Tail Pine in the High Sierras ISO 

Trees at the Timber Line 151 

Perched Boulder left by a Glacier : 153 

The Pinnacles on the Crest of the High Sierras 154 

Hetch Hetchy Valley ■ 155 

Among the Orange Orchards of Southern California 161 

Spanish Bayonet and Big Cone Spruce, San Gabriel Mountains 163 

Irrigation Canal near Riverside 166 

Mt. San Jacinto from Hemet Valley 167 

Bear Valley Reservoir, San Bernardino Mountains 169 

Picking Lemons 170 

Irrigating an Orchard by Checks 171 

A Wonderful Spring in the San Bernardino Mountains 180 

Celery Field near Los Angeles , 181 

An Ostrich Farm near Los Angeles 183 

Scene in the Business District of Los Angeles 185 

Scene in the Residence District of Los Angeles 186 

San Pedro Harbor 189 

An Avenue, Pasadena , 190 

Mission Inn, Riverside : 191 

Chula Vista Grammar School near San Diego 192 

Mt. San Antonio from near Santa Ana 193 

The Plaza, San Diego 194 

San Gorgonio Pass from the Desert Slope 195 

Seventeen Palms Spring in the Borego Desert 196 

The Beach at Santa Barbara 198 

Date Palm Grove at the Experiment Station, Coachella 200 

An Artesian Well, Coachella Valley 201 

Picking Cotton, Imperial Valley 202 

A Cactus Garden in the Borego Desert 203 

Mud Volcanoes, Imperial Valley 204 

A Volcanic Crater in the Mohave Desert 210 

Death Valley .: 211 

Sand Dunes of the Colorado Desert 213 

Yuccas and Creosote Bushes in the Mohave Desert 214 

Grazing Sheep in the Desert 215 

Rugged Surface of a Stream of Lava 216 

Giant Sagebrush of Honey Lake Valley 218 

Westlake Park, Los Angeles - 219 

Scott's Valley in the Klamath Mountains 222 

A Glacial Lake in the Klamath Mountains 223 

Hydraulic Mining in the Klamath River 225 

The Klamath River -.: 228 

Mt. Lassen in Eruption 2.jO 

The Devil's Kitchen 231 

Mt. Shasta and Shastina from Shasta Valley 233 

Colored Supplements - 



